■**"'*f.H>t'' 
















LONDON : 
EDWARD STANFORD, 6 & 7, CHARING CROSS, S.W. 

1869. 

if ^ 



/3^ 



LA PLATA, BEAZIL, 



PAEAGUAY, 



KING THE PRESENT WAR. 



Commander A. J. KENNEDY, R.N. 




LONDON : 

EDWARD STANFORD, 6 & 7, CHARING CROSS, S.W. 

1869. 



SKETCH 
J3F THE ATTACK ON 

H U M A I T A 



EXPLA/VATION. 



Parm/iiiii/nn 1;'. line of Scfrntr 
' /„/!■,, 'n„,„ a, ta . 

lii/ic. 2"^ after aJhfd 
^flan/r /rwveme^t 

AUv 3:1^0/1^,- f7,<: 

capture' of UstaiUcimenAn. 
AclA/a-nce' u/' JllUfj^ before- 
t/ie^^lcuiJi: movernerht... 

date after 

'■ Braxtltofv FZ-e-et ... . 

Wj?'/cs oc<wcfj/.ftf hy t/'f 

Paragua^cuus 

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ot f/„ /„,. , ,■„„,.. ,,„,/ ,.,„/,nraf;r rf 

,„/m,irr „r, l/ir f„nuf„nj(„L. (e/t tfnn/, 
c mofemrn/ iv/tu-Jv r-Ksii/fcd, ,n tArrr/,, ti 
nf iJu Jhraff„„vcin Army Ic tk ,"""'///„ 
oTc/efina, ami TuicMy fc tJir evcuructum 
o/'Jliurim/a,, a/ttr LopiQ and./usAri,n 
Ttatl retreala/' to the TihicuxLrv 



-LatiAide, of Cnrrienles iV 30 S 
Jo .N 20 \V 



y^3^ 



LA PLATA, BRAZIL, 



PAEAGUAY, 



KING THE PRESENT WAR. 



Commander A. J. KENNEDY, E.N. 




LONDON : 

EDWARD STANFORD, 6 & 7, CHARING CROSS, S.W. 

1869. 



LONDON : 

W. H. ASD L. COLLINGKIDGE, CITY PRESS, 

ALDEHSGATE STREET, E.C. 



K35 



3 .^rvf' 



PEBPACB 



The following description of a trip up tlie rivers 
Parana and Uruguay has been taken from notes 
made while in command of H. M. gunboat Spider 
during her service on the South American station. 

A sketch of the recent campaign in Paraguay up 
to the capture of Asuncion by the Brazilians has been 
introduced, as it was written before the present 
complete history of the Paraguayan war had been 
published ; and as the information on the subject 
has been obtained from Brazilian sources, it was 
thought some points might still be of interest. 

Blackheath, August, 1869. 



CONTENTS, 



CHAPTER I. 

ENGLISH AND FKENCH SaUADRONS — APPOINTMENT TO H.M. GUN- 
BOAT "spider" — INCIDENTS OP VOYAGE OUT IN PACKET — 

ARRIVAL AT MONTE VIDEO — THE STATE OP APFAIRS THERE 

URUGUAY — DESCRIPTION OP MONTE VIDEO, ITS SOCIETY AND 
PEOPLE, THEIR MANNERS AND CUSTOMS, ETC 1 

CHAPTER II. 

MONTE VIDEO — THE " ©RIENTAL " HOTEL — ARRIVAL OF MAIL 

ORDERED TO START FOR PARAGUAY — CROSSING THE " ORTIZ " 
— ^ARRIVAL AT BUENOS AYRES — MR. PARISH — QUALIFICATIONS 
FOR THE CONSULAR SERVICE — FLANAGAN AND HIS WIFE's 
BURIAL-FUND MONEY — ARRANGEMENT WITH PILOT — JOURNEY 
UP THE PARANA — PASS OF OBLIGADO — ROSARIO — A DUST- 
STORM — SAN LORENZO — ANCHORAGE FOR THE NIGHT . . . . 16 

CHAPTEE III. 

DANGERS OF NAVIGATING THE PARANA — STRIKING A SANDBANK 
— ^LA PAZ — SCENE OF NAVAL ACTION BETWEEN BRAZILIANS 
AND PARAGUAYANS — CRUELTY OF THE PARAGUAYANS DURING -"' 
THE CAMPAIGN IN CORRIENTES — PREPARATIONS FOR ENGAGE- 
MENT — ALARM OF RESIDENTS — STRENGTH OF BRAZILIAN FLEET 

BRILLIANT AFFAIR AT THE " PASS OF CUEVOS " VISIT TO 

THE BRAZILIAN COMMODORE DETAINED AT CORRIENTES 

TAKING THE EVENING BATH — THE CORRIENTINOS — THE TOWN 

— INCIDENT IN A CAFE 31 



VI CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER IV. 

SENOR FARREAS, THE GOVERNOR OF CORRIENTES — THE PAMPERO 

— NATIVE METHOD OF FISHING CHRISTMAS ON BOARB — FETES 

ON SHORE — VISITING ON NEW-YEAR's DAY — INVITATION TO 
ATTEND A TERTULIA — THE SPANISH WALTZ 53 

CHAPTEE Y. 

ALARM OF FIRE-SHIPS — THE LAW OF NEUTRALS — RIDING IN 

THE CAMPO VIS£T TO THE ALLIED ENCAMPMENT GENERAL 

VENANGIO FLORES — PREPARATIONS FOR CROSSING THE PASO 
DE LA PATRIA — A VISIT FROM CHACO INDIANS — INDIAN 

METHOD OF CROSSING HORSES ON THE PARANA VISIT TO 

THE INDIAN CAMP— THE GAME OF TAPIA JEALOUSY, AND ITS 

CONSEaUENCES 72 



CHAPTEE YI. 



VISIT TO THE PASO DE LA PATRIA — SKETCH OF PARAGUAY — 
DR. FRANCIA — FRANCISCO SOLANO LOPEZ — THE RIVER PARA- 
GUAY — SKETCH OF THE WAR — ADMIRAL MURATORI . . . . 92 



CHAPTEE YII. 



STRENGTH OF THE RESPECTIVE FORCES, THEIR POSITION, ETC. — 
STRATAGEM OF PARAGUAYANS — NAVAL ENCOUNTER AT PASO 
DE LA PATRIA — PASSAGE OF THE ALLIED TROOPS — EVACUA- 
TION OF ITAPIRU ATTACK ON THE ALLIES BY LOPEZ EN- 
GAGEMENT BEFORE ESTERO BELLACO 113 



CHAPTEE YIII. 



position of the allied army mortality among the forces 

— Torpedoes — inactivity of the allies — contest for the 
tuyuty mound death of colonel palleja capture op 

. curuzu — ^repulse of the allies at curupaiti — appoint- 
ment of admiral ignacio — his energy and gallantry — 

withdrawal of the argentine troops movement to 

turn the paraguayan flank at las rojas 130 



CONTENTS. Vll 



CHAPTER IX. 



ADMIRAL IGNACJO ENGAGES THE FORTS OF CURITPAITI — CAPTURE 
BY THE ALLIES OF PILAR AND TAYI — DESPERATE ATTACK BY 

PARAGUAYAN CAVALRY UPON TUYUTY ACCESSIONS TO THE 

BRAZILIAN NAVY — POSITION AND STRENGTH OF THE BATTERIES 
OF HUMAITA — FORCING THE HUMAITA PASSAGE AND STORMING 
OF ESTABLECIMENTO — RETREAT OF LOPEZ — RUSE ON THE PART 
OF THE PARAGUAYANS — ABANDONMENT OF CURUPAITI — DE- 
VOTION OF THE COUNTRY-PEOPLE TO THE CAUSE OF LOPEZ . . 147 



CHAPTER X. 



GALLANT REPULSE OF AN ASSAULT UPON HUMAITA ITS EVACUA- 
TION AND SURRENDER OP ITS GARRISON — CONDUCT OF LOPEZ 

STRENGTH OF ALLIED FORCES — PLAN OP OPERATIONS — ABAN- 
DONMENT OF TIMBO BY THE PARAGUAYANS — ADVANCE OF THE 
ALLIED FORCES UPON ASUNCION — ESCAPE OF LOPEZ TO CERRO 
LEON — OFFICIAL DECLARATION OF END OF CAMPAIGN — REVIEW, 
AND REFLECTIONS THEREON 168 



CHAPTER XI. 



DEPARTURE FROM CORRIENTES — RETURN TO MONTE VIDEO — EX- 
PEDITION UP THE RIVER URUGUAY ENGAGEMENT WITH PILOT 

DESCRIPTION OF THE RIVER URUGUAY GENERAL URQUIZA 

— VISIT TO HIS PALACE AT SAN JOSE — DINNER — THE GUALE- 
GUAYCHU WATER 188 



CHAPTER XII. 



DIFFICULTIES OF THE SPANISH IDIOM — THE BALL AT THE 
general's, ETC. — METHOD OF CATCHING PARTRIDGES IN LA 
PLATA — ENTERTAINMENT AT GENERAL URQUIZA's FARM-HOUSE 
— BREAKING IN WILD COLTS — THE DORMADOR — SHEEP-FARM- 
ING IN LA PLATA 204 



VIU CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



THE GENTLE SHEPHERDS — THE WELSH COLONY OF CHUPAT 
— ADVICE TO INTENDLNG EMIGRANTS— LIFE IN A LA PLATA 

ESTANCIA PREPARATION OF PRESERVED BEEF AT FRAY BENTOS 

— VISIT TO A SALADERO — THE ACTION AT THE PASS OF OBLI- 
GADO — DEPARTURE FOR RIO JANEIRO 218 



CHAPTEE XIY. 



BRAZIL, ITS MILITARY AND NAVAL FORCES, ETC. — LOSSES DURING 

CAMPAIGN BAHIA THE EMPEROR OF BRAZIL JEALOUSY OF 

THE ARGENTINE CONFEDERATION AND URUGUAY RIO JANEIRO 

BAY — THE TOWN — THE " MACHIN BOMBA" — TEJUCA THE 

CHURCH OF ST. MARGARITA — A MOUNTAIN STORM — RETURN 

TO RIO . . . . 237 



CHAPTEE XY. 



VISIT TO PETKOPOLIS — DESCRIPTION OF TOWN, PEOPLE, ETC. — 

MULE TRAINS — VIEW FROM THE SIERRA VISIT TO THE RIO 

BOTANICAL GARDENS — PASSAGE IN THE " RHONE " — THE PAS- 
SENGERS — VISIT TO BAHIA — THE SALOON SERVANTS — HOME TO 
ENGLAND 256 



LA PLATA, 

AND THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 



CHAPTER I. 

ENGLISH AND PRENCH SQUADRONS — APPOINTMENT TO H. M. GUN- 
BOAT "spider" INCIDENTS OF VOYAGE OUT IN PACKET — 

ARRIVAL AT MONTE VIDEO — THE STATE OF AFFAIRS THERE 

URUGUAY — DESCRIPTION OF MONTE VIDEO, ITS SOCIETY AND 
PEOPLE, THEIR MANNERS AND CUSTOMS, ETC. 

The English naval squadron stationed on the south- 
east coast of America has for many years been kept 
at one large vessel (generally a frigate) as flag-ship, 
with a few small steamers and gunboats of lighter 
draught for river service. The French also main- 
tain a similarly small force in that part of the world, 
but the apparent weakness of the two squadrons taken 
separately has been well counterbalanced by their 
invariable co-operation in time of difficulty ; and this 
has perhaps enabled the respective admirals to effect 
more in dealing with the constant revolutions of the 
La Plata republics than they would have been able 
to accomplish with larger forces working separately. 
Although no actual conflict between England and 
France and the forces of the La Plata republics 
lias taken place since the " forcing the passage of 



Z LA PLATA, AND 

Obligado " in 1845, still on several occasions it has 
been necessary to land a combined force of sea- 
men and marines to protect the mercantile interests 
during the disturbances consequent on a change of 
government ; but here the moral effects of the union 
of England and France, supported by the personal 
respect in which the merchants of those two countries 
are held by the local governments, has always enabled 
the naval commanders to attain their object without 
coming to blows with the natives. The duties con- 
nected with the higher parts of the rivers on the 
station fall to the lot of the small craft ; and this 
river service, at all times novel and exciting, had now 
received additional interest from the commencement 
of the war between Brazil and Paraguay which pro- 
mised to offer an opportunity for visiting those com- 
paratively little known countries, Paraguay and the 
northern provinces of the Argentine Confederation. 

In July, 1865, having been appointed to H. M. 
gun-boat Spider, stationed on the south-east coast of 
America, I was ordered to take a passage in the 
packet of the 9th, and accordingly arrived on the 
morning of that day at the Southampton docks, ready 
to embark. The docks in Midsummer are not a bad 
preparation for a journey to the tropics ; what with 
the glare of a fiercely hot sun, lighting up groups 
of Lascars, Chinamen, negroes, and Creoles of all 
shades, unloading cargoes of cochineal, indigo, coffee, 
pineapples, oranges, &c., a very little imagination 
suffices to carry the thoughts to the Indies. The 
E. M. steamer Doiiro was to be our ship ; and I found 



THE WAH IN PARAGUAY. 3 

a brother- officer who was going to join a ship on the 
South American station would share my cabin with 
me. We started the same afternoon, with a fine 
breeze in our favour, and soon passed the Needles on 
our way to Lisbon, which port we reached on the 
fourth day ; from there we went to St. .Yincent, 
where, after coaling, we again started across the 
ocean for Brazil. 

Certainly, should the pampas of La Plata ever 
become fashionable, or form part of the enterprising 
Briton's grand tour, July can be recommended as a 
good month for starting from England. At that 
season the ocean (which forms such a considerable 
item in the journey) is on its best behaviour ; and 
the pure summer breeze which reaches you on mid- 
ocean in the perfection of freshness is beyond de- 
scription, and requires to be experienced to be 
appreciated. 

We were now bowling merrily along under sail 
and steam some eleven knots an hour, putting up 
shoals of flying fish as we dashed through the long 
Atlantic swell. The passengers, of which there were 
more than an average number on board, were nearly 
all on deck, seated in those inevitable articles of steam- 
packet furniture, cane-bottomed easy chairs ; the 
English portion of the community were armed with 
the regulation yellow-backed railway novel, the 
foreigners with their pamphlet-looking volumes of 
divers colours, — the French affecting pale green and 
pink, the Germans j^ellow and straw-colour. All were 
supposed to be reading, but in reality flirtations were 

B 2 



4 LA PLATA, AND 

going on in almost every language under the sun, from 
broken English — which is still beheved by many 
native possessors of that language to be the most 
intelligible medium for expressing the feelings to a 
foreigner — to Dutch. All were in the best of hu- 
mours, particularly the Grermans, who, fat, calm, and 
placid, were regarding the gentle blue waves with 
great satisfaction. One male Grerman, a trifle superior 
to his countrymen and women on board in the matter 
of fatness, calmness, and placidity, was seated in a 
chair of suitable dimensions, which slid about as the 
ship heeled over without disturbing the equanimity 
of its occupant in the least, who sat still, speechless 
and happy, canoning against the people seated in his 
neighbourhood with a peaceful indifference as to the 
interruptions of several quiet little tetes-a-tete which 
were brought to an abrupt termination on encoun- 
tering his onslaught, until at last a happy roll of the 
ship capsized him into the lee scuppers, where he 
had ample time to reflect on his situation. 

There were several old travellers on board, who 
could be distinguished by their well-appointed easy 
chairs, with the owner's name neatly sewn on the 
back. These easy chairs are quite an institution on 
board packets ; they are generally constructed in the 
same fashion, and are invariably the private property 
of the respective passengers ; for the company sternly 
ignores easy seats of any description. As the old and 
wary traveller is to be distinguished by his possess- 
ing a comfortable chair, so the youthful and inexpe- 
rienced beginner is to be marked by not having one 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 5 

of his own, but bj occupjdng his neighbour's, with 
evident approval of the idea^ until requested to move. 

Our voyage progressed favourably ; in fact, the 
sea was as smooth as a lake the whole way across, 
and an open boat might have accompanied us with 
perfect safety. We arrived at Eio Janeiro on the 
4th of August, and the following day started for 
Monte Yideo in the Carmel, the steamer which runs 
between Rio and Buenos Ayres, calling at Monte 
Video on her way, and reached the latter port on 
the 12th of the same month. The Admiral had just 
started for a cruise, intending to visit the parts of 
the station situated near the line during the cool 
season. 

I found my gun-boat was anchored oflP the custom- 
house, and, after reporting my arrival to the senior 
officer, I went to look at her. She was small — very 
small ; in fact she appeared to be all gun, the huge 
100-pounder Armstrong towered over her bulwarks 
in such a disproportionate manner. Everybody wanted 
to hear the news from home : " When were the promo- 
tions coming out ?'' was of course the first question : 
but my budget of gossip was tame compared with 
the stirring time now commencing in the River Plate. 
I was told that the Argentines had joined Brazil and 
Uruguay, and an alliance had been formed, pledging 
themselves to overthrow Lopez at all hazards ; that 
the Monte Yideans were off to the war, and the 
foreign merchants would have it all to themselves, 
and expected to make "pots of money " during the 
ensuing operations, the port of Monte Yideo being 



6 LA PLATA, AND 

likely to form a base of supply for the army when tlie 
campaign commenced. The character of the Para- 
guayan Dictator appeared to be most impartially 
handled, one party calling him a savage beast, and 
the other pronouncing him to be a man of unques- 
tioned talent and energy : one thing all agreed in 
— that he was likely to prove a difficult subject for 
the allies to manage. But opinion was again divided 
on the point of his policy in thus bringing all three 
powers on himself at once, as he had lately done in in- 
vading the Argentine territory. Persons who believed 
in Lopez said the alliance could never hold, and that 
Brazil would have to withdraw from want of money ; 
others were certain that Lopez was already making 
arrangements to leave the country, and had sent away 
a considerable portion of his treasure. Certainly 
his policy, if he ever had any beyond lust of power 
(ambition is too respectable a term to apply), is diffi- 
cult to understand. It must be supposed that, having 
embarked his all in soldiers and fortifications, he 
now wished to see the result of his speculation before 
getting too old to enjoy it. The ostensible cause of 
the rupture was jealousy of Brazil ; for, while the 
Argentine Confederation and Banda Oriental have 
never made any pretension of keeping up a naval 
or mihtary establishment, Brazil had always main- 
ained a force sufficiently strong to perform the neces- 
sary duties on her extended frontier ; and although 
her army had never been hitherto sufficiently in- 
creased to enable it to assume ofi'ensive operations, 
still it was a respectable force, and, as the late war 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 7 

has shown, readily capable of enlargement. Para- 
guay, it was well known, had been for years arming, 
and while other countries in the neighbourhood had 
been applying their resources to the development of 
commerce, Lopez had absorbed the entire revenue 
of his republic in the establishment of a military 
power out of all proportion to the requirements of 
his country. Now was to be determined the question 
of the protectorate of the rich provinces south of 
Brazil and Paraguay : was it to be the amiable Lopez, 
who had lately given a specimen of his style of ad- 
ministration in his treatment of the inhabitants of 
Corrientes after overrunning their province ; or the 
Emperor of Brazil, who had given ample proof of his 
capacity as a ruler in the prosperous condition of his 
large empire, and the respect in which he was held 
by all classes of his people ? 

The republic of Uruguay, or, as it is as commonly 
called, Banda Oriental, is bounded on the north by 
the Brazilian province of Pio Grrande, and on the 
other sides by the ocean. La Plata, and river Uru- 
guay. It contains an area of 73,000 square miles 
(the same as Paraguay) ; but while Paraguay has a 
population of 1,337,000, Uruguay has only 300,000. 
A considerable portion of these are foreigners, and 
exempt from military service ; consequently the force 
maintained by the state is only 2,500 men of all 
arms. At the commencement of the Paraguayan 
war these were by great exertion raised to 3,000 
effectives, and under the command of General 
Yenancio Flores, their gallant President, joined the 



8 LA PLATA, AND 

allied forces as the Oriental contingent. They were 
stationed in the vanguard of the army, and made up 
for their want of numbers by the most conspicuous 
gallantry, until, decimated by the constant fighting 
extending over a period of two years, the few survi- 
vors were incorporated in the Argentine divisions, and 
ceased to form a separate corps. The sad end of their 
brave and energetic leader, who perished by the hand 
of an assassin, excited universal pity and indignation. 
He was considered the most dashing cavalry officer of 
his day, and was always to be found in action where 
the fire was hottest. His second in command, Colonel 
Pallaja, who was equally celebrated as author and 
soldier, also lost his life in the service of his country ; 
he was killed at Estero Bellaco : and, indeed, there 
were few families in Monte Yideo who had not cause 
to mourn the loss of some relative during the bloody 
campaign in Paraguay. 

Monte Yideo, the chief town of the Eepublic, is 
built on the eastern side of a large bay. It is by far 
the most agreeable part of the east coast of South 
America ; the climate is good, and temperate 
enough to admit of sharp exercise. The land 
gradually ascends from the shore to a height of 500 
feet, giving a rather striking appearance to the town 
when vievv'ed from the sea at the entrance of the bay. 
The houses are well built, generally two stories high , 
with azotea and mirador ; the streets are arranged 
in squares, the Spanish fashion being retained in that 
as well as in many other points. On the opposite 
side of the bay, across the water, stands the Mount 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 9 

from which both the town and bay take their names. 
The country in the vicinity is open grass-land, gene- 
rally thin and scanty ; where the soil is exposed, it 
shows fine light-coloured sand. The country-houses of 
the wealthy city merchants are dotted here and there, 
their surrounding gardens relieving the eye from the 
generally monotonous appearance of the district; 
farther down towards the beach are the large saladero 
establishments, which continue round the bay, until 
they are met by the wharves and warehouses of the 
city, while these latter are terminated at the south-east 
part of the town by the custom-house, a fine hand- 
some building, with a large wooden shed in front, 
where the goods are placed temporarily on being 
landed from the shipping. The anchorage presents 
a wonderful scene of animation ; flags of all nations 
are flying in countless numbers, and ships of all sizes 
are lying at their anchors, from the pretty little 
fruit schooner, which runs to Eio with apples and 
brings back oranges, to the huge iron-clad Monadnock, 
who, with a fleet of other men-of-war of all nations, 
is lying in the offing. The shallowness of water 
causes considerable inconvenience, for ships drawing 
only fourteen feet of water can scarcely approach 
within three miles of the custom-house ; and even at 
that distance it is a common occurrence for them to 
be aground for weeks at a time. The Mount is the 
especial pride of the Monte Yideans, and in spring 
(September) is very beautiful ; it rises gracefully and 
quite alone, on the extreme point of the land, with a 
profusion of wild flowers covering it from the base to 



10 LA PLATA, AND 

the summit, their great variety of colours producing 
just before sunset (when the sun shines full on them) 
a most charming effect. Nor is the Mount orna- 
mental only ; the lighthouse and signal-station are 
placed on the top, and both by night and day form 
most important marks for navigating the river. The 
inhabitants of the town consider it resembles, if not 
equals, Naples in appearance and beauty. That must 
be, of course, a matter of opinion ; but I fancy any 
strangers who have had an opportunity of comparing 
the respective cities will agree that Monte Video de- 
cidedly excels Naples in the matter of vile smells, 
which is saying a good deal, Naples itself not being the 
sweetest of places. Many a night have I spent in 
Monte Video Bay vainly trying to pacify my olfactory 
nerves by stuffing cotton up my nose and muffling 
up my head, until nearly suffocated. Quite useless ! 
all one can do is to groan and curse the saladeros. 

Monte Video has its Plaza, where the senoritas 
promenade after church, and the caballeros salute 
them from the side of the walks, it not being eti- 
quette for gentlemen to join the ladies. The toilets 
are arranged according to the religious season of the 
year, and on particular fiestas are most gorgeous. 
The gentlemen, too, on Sundays are great swells, 
in Parisian ties and gloves, and London hats. The 
cathedral occupies one side of the Plaza, opposite the 
public offices. The theatre is a handsome building ; 
and there are two clubs, one English, the other native. 
The principal street, called the Twenty-fifth May, 
has very fair shops in it, and of an evening is used 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 



11 



as a fashionable promenade, the amusement of shop- 
ping being varied by a stroll up to the Plaza where a 
military band plays. The scene about nine of a sum- 
mer's evening is very pretty and amusing ; the band 
playing, streets crowded with well-dressed people, 
cafes all lighted up, and the shops decked with their 
best goods, make a most effective tableau. After 
nine people go to the opera, or home, when they 
receive visitors, calls being usually made in the 
evening, when it is cool. Occasionally there is a 
good operatic company at Monte Yideo, but it 
always requires considerable support from the govern- 
ment to keep it up. There is a good-sized church, 
with an English clergyman (the Rev. Samuel Adams) 
for the large Protestant community. The church is 
built close to the ridge of a cliff overhanging the 
sea, on which, in south-easterly gales, the waves 
dash with great violence ; it is to be feared that the 
foundations of the building will soon get under- 
mined, for the bank on each side is rapidly giving 
way to the influence of the water. The Monte Yidean 
government is jealous of foreign religious bodies, 
and it is said it suggested a short time ago that 
the English burial-ground, which is a handsome 
enclosure laid out with great care, should be handed 
over to the local authorities as a park for the people. 
This modest request was of course refused, con- 
sidering the land was bought and paid for with 
English money. The proposal was considered rather 
as an insult offered by the Poman Catholic priests. 
Almost every European, nationally, is represented 



12 LA PLATA, AND 

at Monte Yideo ; tlie large mercliaiits and bankers 
are generally English or Grerman, tlie shop-keepers 
French, and the country and market people natives, 
Italians, and Spaniards ; the latter (principally from 
the Basque provinces) also are to be found amongst 
the nautical community in large numbers. The 
market is well worth visiting during the fruit season. 
Here you see the pomegranate by the side of a basket 
of cherries, pine-apples and peaches, strawberries 
and bananas, all having been raised in the open air ; 
also vegetables of every variety. The flowers are 
handsome, but generally wanting in scent. The 
gardens are enclosed by hedges formed of the aloe, 
and a few of the quintas that have had any trouble 
taken in laying out their grounds show that tropical 
plants can be brought to perfection there as easily 
as European. In the immediate neighbourhood of 
Monte Yideo the sandy soil is much against flowers ; 
it also partially destroys the flavour of the more 
delicate fruits. Pears and apples are particularly 
fine, and considerable numbers are sent up to Brazil 
during the season. 

Society is divided into two sets, socially as well as 
politically, Blancos and Cohforados. The Blancos 
are the old aristocratic, exclusive, conservative fami- 
lies. The Collorados are the new, go-ahead, un- 
scrupulous, and most powerful party, and are now 
in office; Brazil, the protector, favours the latter 
party. The Blancos look with great distrust and 
jealousy on the Brazilian influence ; this has been 
carefully fostered by Lopez, and has been one of the 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 13 

ostensible causes of the war. There are many plea- 
sant families, no doubt, on both sides, but the Blancos 
are the favourites in society. The lovely senoritas of 
the latter set, when seen in public, affect a charmingly 
pensive air, and their graceful figures are draped 
in .black. When saluted by a passing caballero, 
they answer the bow by a sad and downcast move- 
ment, expressive of the fallen fortunes of their partj^ 
This would be only laid aside for a look of scorn 
when some person of the Oo^forado faction passed, 
and quickly resumed ; until the evening, when, seated 
on sofas round a very, very dimly-lighted room, 
they received the friends of their family. 

There is something inexpressibly enchanting in 
these darkened visits, where you cannot see any faces, 
and only know when you have come to your particular 
favourite by the gentle pressure of the hand and a 
slight movement of dress to make room for you by her 
side ; and then, while some one, told off for the occa- 
sion, is drumming away on the piano, what pleasant 
minutes — hours — pass ! It is astonishing how quickly 
a foreign language is learnt under these circum- 
stances ; and then, when the mate bowl is handed 
round, and the fair seiiorita, taking a little sip 
through the silver tube, gives it to you, what 
rapture ! You receive it, taking advantage of the 
contact of hands to administer a gentle squeeze, and 
with an eloquent and impassioned look place the 
tube in your own mouth. Here, unless you happen 
to be coppered inside your throat, your pleasure for 
the rest of the evening is over ; the vile decoction 



14 LA PLATA, AND 

is red hot, and as bitter as gall ! With one bound 
you dash at the nearest window or fireplace, and 
explode like a volcano, amidst shouts of laughter; 
for the ladies, sad as they look in the morning, can 
appreciate a joke in the evening very keenly. This 
mate trick has long been a standing joke, and a new- 
comer is invariably victimized. 

During the heat of the summer the inhabitants 
retire to their quintas, where they can get the cool 
breezes from the country. When the flag-ship is at 
Monte Video, the Admiral lives on shore generally. 
In 1865 the Admiral's quinta was at Pas^o Molino, 
a pretty village and bridge about foin- miles from 
town, but it could be reached by boat within half 
a mile. Here the Admiral entertained the principal 
inhabitants of the town, and one met all the prettiest 
of the Monte Yidean senoritas at his very pleasant 
dejeuners. 

The principal amusement at Monte Yideo is riding ; 
horses are very cheap and (if you look out sharply) 
good. Horsed ealers are shy of giving any one a 
valuable horse at first unless they know he can ride, 
and is not likely to damage the animal ; the best 
plan is to get a resident to go with you to the 
stables for the first time, then you have no difficulty. 
A vicious horse is more than usually inconvenient 
at Monte Yideo ; for if you get thrown off and 
happen to alight on a hedge, the aloe thorns pierce 
you like a cheval de frise of bayonets. This is not at 
all unlikely to happen unless you are well up to the 
ways of the country, for the roads are infested with 



THE WAR IN i'AnAGVAY. 15 

savage curs of dogs, who start out at every turn, 
barking furiously, and the horse invariably shies ; 
so, unless you have a steady hand on your animal, 
he goes into the opposite hedge directly, and you 
come out minus a coat-tail, or perhaps a pound or 
so of flesh. The roads in the vicinity of the town 
are also in a terrible condition, and there is no more 
painful sight than to see a team of oxen trying 
to drag a huge lumbering waggon, heavily laden, 
through one of these pantanos, with the mud above 
the axle of the wheel. 



16 LA PLATA, AND 



CHAPTER II. 

MONTE TIDEO — THE "ORIENTAL" HOTEL — ARRIVAL OF MAIL — 
ORDERED TO START FOR PARAGUAY — CROSSING THE " ORTIZ " — 
ARRIVAL AT BUENOS AYRES — MR. PARISH — ftUALlFICATIONS FOR 
THE CONSULAR SERVICE — FLANAGAN AND HIS WIFe's BURIAL- 
FUND MONEY — ARRANGEMENT WITH PILOT — JOURNEY UP THE 
PARANA — PASS OF OBLIGADO — ROSARIO — A DUST-STORM — SAN 
LORENZO — ANCHORAGE FOR THE NIGHT. 

Monte Yideo, from its position at the mouth of the 
river, from its depth of water, and large wharfage ac- 
commodation, is the principal shipping port on the 
river. Large trains of mules and teams of oxen pour 
in during the season, laden with wool and hides, to 
he stored ready for the ships when they arrive ; and 
wharf property is considered most valuable in the 
city. The depth of water is not sufficient to allow 
large vessels to lay alongside ; but the storehouses and 
sheds for the dry hide and wool are very necessary 
and useful. When the ship arrives for her cargo, large 
flat-bottomed barges soon take it ofi". 

The best hotel in the place is " The Oriental," which 
has lately been rebuilt on a very large and orna- 
mental scale. In 1866 the new building was finished 
outside, but was not ready for occupation inside. 
The old establishment was on a vastly different and 
inferior scale. 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. Li 

One day, towards the end of November (the 
winter having passed, and summer being well 
advanced), I had been dining with a couple of 
friends at the table d^hote in the old building; and 
any one who recollects the dark stuffy apartment 
which rejoiced in the title of saloon in that vener- 
able but dirty pile will easily understand our feelings 
when, after performing the necessary duty of eating 
greasy soup and tough fowl (the thermometer stand- 
ing at 100°), we found ourselves seated round an 
open window upstairs, overlooking the bay, and en- 
joying a pleasant southerly breeze just then spring- 
ing up. It had been an intensely hot day, but was 
now a charming November evening, the setting sun 
lighting up the shipping and, in the distance, the 
Mount with brilliant effect. Boats were darting 
about in all directions amongst the merchant ships 
in shore, while outside, some three miles off, were the 
men-of-war — English, Spanish, French, and Italian ; 
in fact, the ensigns of nearly all the European powers 
were flying beside the American, North and South — 
altogether a very animated scene. We were very 
comfortable ; our chairs were of the steam-packet 
pattern, and possibly might have been the silent 
witnesses of many an ocean secret. Our claret 
and cigars were very tolerable in quality, but their 
price was like that of all other imported goods in 
the country — absurdly dear. However, we thought 
nothing of that, and were only too thankful to be 
allowed to live at all, after the suffocating duty 
we had just performed at the table d^hote. 



18 LA PLATA, AND 

"When is this gorgeous building to be finished?" 

asked C , one of the individuals composing our 

party (alluding to the new hotel) . 

" My dear sir," said H , *' don't you know 

that the company are waiting until they can get 
Lopez to open it in person ? " 

" Lopez ! Ah ! a good idea ; they'll show him, 
a la Barnum — a drawing sort of thing, I should say. 
But what have we here ? " — pointing to seaward. 

We looked up, and saw two Brazilian transports, 
full of troops, coming in. 

"■ That looks like business," said I. "I suppose 
those men are going on to join the army at Cor- 
rientes. The Brazilians will advance at once now 
they are so strong." 

*' Depend upon it," said , who was an old 

resident in the country, " nothing will be done this 
year ; money is being spent at a fabulous rate, and 
any amount of preparations are being made, but 
they won't come on. The Brazies no hay corazon — 
they won't fight, sir." 

"I should much like to see the fun up the river," 
said I. "The Paraguayans appear to be plucky 
feUows." 

"Yes, plucky enough," said H ; "but they 

are bloodthirsty ruffians, and Lopez, their leader, is 
the greatest villain of the whole. They have just re- 
treated from Corrientes, after murdering the wretched 
country people, and plundering and burning every- 
thing they could lay hands on. However, I fancy 
their tether will soon be shortened. Two more iron- 



THE WATl IN PARAGUAY. 19 

clads are expected in a few days, and the allies are 
close up to Paso de la Patria." 

" All very nice," said ; " but what is the use 

of iron-clads and armies, if they won't come on and 
fight. By Jove, sir, it makes one's blood boil to see 
such waste of time and money." 

Just at this moment one of H 's clerks came in 

to say that the English mail had arrived, and that 
there would be an opportunity of sending letters up 
to Paraguay, as it was reported a man-of-war was 
to go up to Ascension immediately, to look after some 
British subjects whom Lopez was ill-treating. 

" Why," said C , "just the thing. Yery likely 

your craft will be sent — she is light draught. Mind 
you let us know if you are ordered off, for I have 
some rather important letters for Ascension, which I 
should not like to trust to a stranger, and the regular 
postal authorities have an unpleasant knack of making 
themselves acquainted with the contents of one's 
despatches when sent through their hands." 

We now separated to get our letters. I at once 
went off to the senior officer's ship to hear the news. 
The first thing I heard on getting on board was, 
" You are ordered up the river ; " and on going 
down to the captain's cabin, found the admiral's orders 
were to start as soon as possible, after coaling and 
provisioning, for Paraguay, to protect British in- 
terests. This was just the trip I wanted, for one sel- 
dom had an opportunity of penetrating so far into the 
interior of the country as I should now probably be 
able to do. All was excitement. Coaling, provisioning, 

c 2 



20 



letters, and parcels (for I was ordered to take a mail 
up, and any letters for the post-office at Ascension), 
all had to be done at once and at the same time. 
Directly we were ready, I weighed anchor, and 
started for Buenos Ayres, where a pilot was to join. 
The distance across is about one hundred miles. In 
the middle of the river there is a large sandbank — 
the " Ortiz." This I had often crossed in smoother 
water, although only two feet of depth to spare ; but 
now it came on to blow, and freshened rapidly into 
a heavy gale during the night, with a deep hollow 
sea. I thought it possible we might strike the bottom 
between the rollers, but was bound to go on, as 
even if we had hove to we must have drifted right 
over it. We had an anxious time ; the sea breaking 
over us fore and aft, washing away our extra supply 
of coal which we had taken on deck. However, 
we got over safely, and anchored at Buenos Ayres 
the next day. The landing here is most awkward ; 
small boats ground half a mile off the pier, and it is 
said that the river is getting still more shallow every 
day. The vessels waiting to load or unload cargo 
are, many of them, anchored quite out of sight from 
the town. "We managed to get within about a mile 
and a half of the place, and, as time was important, 
I at once went to see the secretary of legation (the 
English Minister being away) and consul, to inform 
them of my expedition, and ask them to let the 
Argentine and Brazilian authorities know of it, as 
I should have to pass the blockading fleet in the 
Parana. The pilot, also, had to be found and en- 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 21 

gaged. This, Mr. Pakenham, our secretary of 
legation, very kindly assisted me in ; tie liad been 
up to Paraguay himself in the beginning of the year, 
and now recommended the pilot who had been then 
employed by the commander of the ship that took 
him up. After some little delay amongst the bouses 
of the seafaring population, we found our friend in 
a posada, and told him what we wanted ; he appeared 
glad enough to accept, so we desired him to come 
to the consul's office at ten the following morning, to 
have the terms ratified. 

Our consul at Buenos Ayres, Mr. Parish, is well 
known, and respected for his great kindness to all 
who have business to transact with him ; the name 
is also familiar to those who have visited that part 
of South America, from his father, the late Sir Wood- 
bine Parish, having held the post of charge cV affaires 
at Buenos Ayres for many years, and during a very 
stormy period in the history of the Argentine Con- 
federation. The consulate offices occupy a portion 
of a large house near the banks of the river, and at 
ten next morning I found the pilot waiting in an 
ante-room ready to arrange the terms of the pilotage 
question. I passed on to an inner room, where I 
found Mr. Parish conversing with three merchant 
skippers, in three difierent languages, the skippers 
in a violent state of excitement, and looking at each 
other with an anything but amiable expression of 
physiognomy. However, Mr. Parish appeared to 
have them well in hand, sitting at his writing desk, 
calmly and pleasantly arranging their difficulty for 



22 LA PLATA, AND 

tliem, interpreting, explaining, in their various lan- 
guages as fluently as if lie were speaking English. 
As I entered he pointed to the stormy discussion 
going on, and asked me to sit down for a few 
minutes. I have often wondered what are the 
especial qualifications necessary in the consular 
service ; certainly temper and command of counte- 
nance ; languages also, with great fluency of speech, 
appear to be vital points ; and, no doubt, there are 
many others of equal importance. 

To give an idea of the variety of cases the consul 
has to settle. While I was sitting in the office, 
waiting for my pilotage question to come on, I 
suddenly heard a voice exclaim in the ante-room : 

" As foine a cofiin and an eligant suit of mourning 
as the eye of man " 

Then came sounds of some one being violently 
ejected into the street. A short time after this 
a clerk came in, and said to Mr. Parish, " There's 
Flanagan been here again, sir, about his wife's 
burial-fund money. The agents won't give it to 
him ; they say he is always drunk. He wants to 
see you about it." 

" Is he sober now ? " 

" Yes, sir, he is all right now." 

" Well, send him in." 

The clerk went out, and presently returned with 
a great lumbering Irishman, sobbing violently into a 
large yellow handkerchief. 

" Well, my man, what is the matter ? Wliat do 
you want ? " 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 23 

" Ocli, yer honour ! (sob) me poor wife ! " (sob.) 

" Yes, yes ; we know your wife is dead. But 
what do you come to me for ? " 

'' It's the burial fund, yer honour. Shure an' the 
agints won't give it to me. I'm crazey with grief 
meself, and me eye hasn't been dry these three 
days ; but if as eligant a coffin and crape at two- 
and-six a yard " 

" Well, you know the agents of the fund say thai 
you are an incorrigible drunkard, and if you get 
the money you will spend it all in drink, and the 
body will be thrown on their hands. You know the 
government hold them responsible." 

" Me, yer honour ! Me drunk ! See here ; I'll 
take me oath " 

" Now, it is impossible that my time can be taken 
up any longer by this affair. I'll tell you what 
I'll do. The agents' secretary will be here this 
afternoon, and I will ask him to divide the money 
between you and your wife's relations ; ttey will 
take care she is decently buried. So you may go 
for the money to-morrow at eleven, and most likely 
you will get your share." 

" The dirty spalpeens ! " (alluding to his wife's re- 
lations). " I thought it was them." 

JExit Pat, grumbling about " the boys not having 
enough for a dacent wake." 

I laughed heartily as he went away, and said, " I 
had no idea the consul's duties extended so far into 
the social affairs of life." 

" Oh, yes," said Mr. Parish ; " they come to me 



24 LA PLATA, AND 

for everything. The Irish are particularly trouble- 
some. They come out, and go into service. Wages 
are good, so they soon save enough to start by them- 
selves. Then they go all adrift, and are constantly 
in hot water. However, we had better see your 
pHot." 

So he was sent in ; and it was arranged that, in 
consideration of receiving just about double the 
amount of pay I got myself, he would pilot us 
up the rivers Parana, Paraguay, or any of their 
branches deep enough to admit the ship. And he 
would also remain on board as long as his services 
were required. 

We started from Buenos Ayres the beginning of 
December, and as coal was not to be procured higher 
up the river than Eosario, that was to be our final 
coaling station. We, however, took in as much as 
possible at Buenos Ayres, including a deck cargo, 
to our great discomfort. But as the hot weather was 
now increasing rapidly, we did not expect much 
pleasure for the next three weeks, while steam was 
up. The morning after our departure we arrived at 
the island of Martin Grarcia. Here an official came 
to demand our errand, which being satisfactorily 
explained, we were permitted to proceed. This 
island used to be of considerable importance, standing 
as it does at the point of junction of the two large 
rivers, Parana and Uruquay; but now the fortifi- 
cations have been allowed to fall to ruin, and the 
garrison have been required to fill up the chasms 
made in the Argentine ranks by the Paraguayan 



THE WAR IN PAKAGTJAY. 25 

War. Shortly afterwards we entered the Parana. 
This river, the second in point of magnitude in the 
South American continent, rises in the Brazilian 
province of Groyaz, and issues from a mountain 
gorge by the cataract of Parana, near the town of 
Guayra. Here the waters of the river dash over 
rapids twelve leagues in extent, descending with 
great violence through walls of rock; often over- 
hanging, until they reach the great plains, situated 
between the province of Eio Grrande and the republic 
of Paraguay. Here they are joined at Tres Bocas 
by the Piver Paraguay, a stream which, with its 
tributaries the Pilcomayo andYermejo, at this point 
assumes a magnitude little short of the Parana itself. 
These streams now flow on together, until at Martin 
G-arcia, a distance of eight hundred miles, they are 
joined by the Uruguay, where the united streams form 
the noble estuary of the Eio de la Plata, and join the 
ocean at Maldonado. On entering the Parana by 
the Gruazu Channel, one is struck with a feeling of 
disappointment at its narrow and common-place 
appearance ; the banks are low, and an interminable 
jungle extends as far as the eye can reach ; but as 
you advance beyond the delta, the truly magnificent 
proportions of the stream begin to unfold themselves. 
Lofty cliffs, with a fine open country extending away 
to the interior, are seen ; while on the southern or 
Argentine shore, handsome country villas are fre- 
quently passed. Now the river rapidly widens, in 
parts to a space of two miles across ; again you glide 
into a narrow channel between the numerous islands, 



26 LA PLATA, AND 

to emerge (after crossing a dangerous pass) on the 
broad open river once more. This now appears to 
increase in volume and width the further you get 
from the sea, until at Corrientes, 750 miles from the 
mouth, the stream presents a view not unlike the 
Solent at Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. 

On ascending the river, the first point of interest 
met with is on the southern bank, at the Pass of 
Obligado, 125 miles from Buenos Ayres; here the 
current runs swiftly through a narrow channel, 
having cliffs of from eighty to a hundred feet high 
on the right or south bank, and jungle on the left. 
This was the scene of Commodore Hotham's action, 
in November, 1845. 

Further on is the town of San Nicholas, also situ- 
ated on the right or Buenos Ayrean side of the river, 
and beyond this, again, at a distance of 230 miles 
from Buenos Ayres, stands the city of Eosario, built 
on the side and summit of a range of sandy clifis, 
some five hundred feet in height, which, on the part 
where the town is placed, rise with a certain amount 
of slope, but on both fianks are quite perpendicular, 
with deep water close to. This latter circumstance 
is taken advantage of by the merchants, who are 
able to get their ships alongside, and discharge 
cargo on galleries cut out of the face of the rock, 
from whence it is hoisted to the summit by derricks 
and pulleys. The town is well built, and of a con- 
siderable size. Two of the principal streets are 
handsomely furnished with shops, which in the 
afternoon generally have numbers of carriages at 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 27 

their doors with ladies shopping. The cafes also are 
numerous, and always well filled of an evening. 
The country in the vicinity of the town is flat, 
sandy, and uninteresting ; the general want of culti- 
vation gives it a bare and unfinished appearance ; it, 
however, has every advantage in its favour, for the 
soil, although sandy, is well adapted for growing 
maize, and the roads are excellent. 

Rosario is the principal depot of the Central Ar- 
gentine Railway, which line runs from here a dis- 
tance of 158 miles, to Yilla Nueva, and is being 
rapidly completed to Cordova, a beautiful town on 
the banks of a stream at the foot of the Andes, and 
about ninety miles further on. At this latter place 
the rich produce of the surrounding country is col- 
lected and sent on to Rosario, whence it is shipped 
down the river, the depth of water as far as this 
port, and the absence of those shallow passes 
which so obstruct the navigation of the river above 
Rosario, rendering the port most valuable as a ship- 
ping depot. 

The fine sandy dust which prevails everywhere 
about the country is most disagreeable. The day 
before we left Rosario we experienced the inconve- 
nience of a dust-storm in its most annoying form. 
I had taken the gunboat alongside a collier (which 
was discharging cargo in the peculiar manner before" 
mentioned, of throwing it out on to the side of the 
clifi'), and we had just finished coaling, when it came 
on to blow a pampero, and in a moment the dust was 
so thick and blinding that nothing could be seen ; 



28 LA PLATA, AND 

after the "wind had ceased, the rain came down in 
a perfect deluge, and turned the thick coating of 
dust which covered us, as well as the ship (and 
which we had not time to remove), into a sort of 
cement. The effect, on looking at each other, was 
most ludicrous ; we were completely cased in mud 
armour, and it took a considerable time to get rid of 
our strange panoply. Having stowed away as much 
coal as possible, both on deck and below (for this was 
our last chance), we started up the river against 
a strong current, over two miles an hour, even in 
shore, when the pilot steered the ship. We con- 
sidered forty miles a very good day's work, steaming 
and sailing steadily, during the hours of daylight. 
The river packets go on at night, but they carry two 
pilots, and the work is extremely hard, the utmost 
attention being required to notice any change in the 
position of the numerous shifting sandbanks. We 
took five days and a half getting to Rosario from 
the mouth of the river, and during that time fre- 
quently had strong breezes in our favour. After 
leaving Rosario, we passed a long reach of low 
swampy land, which extended for twenty miles. 
But about sunset we came to one of the most 
beautiful views on the river. On steaming out of 
a narrow passage between two islands, we suddenly 
saw a broad open expanse of water in our front with 
tall white chalk cliflPs on the left hand, extending far 
away up the river, until they were lost to view. A 
few miles distant was the convent and village of San 
Lorenzo : a handsome group of buildings, the tower 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 29 

of the church showing out boldly against a brilliant 
background of sunset sky, rendered all the more 
striking by the total absence of any trees in the 
neighbourhood. The sisters and nuns were taking 
their evening promenade on the edge of the cliffs as 
we passed close under, and graciously returned our 
salute, when we took off our caps to them, by waving 
handkerchiefs, which was kept up until we were out 
of sight, — quite a picturesque scene. 

We passed along these ranges of cliffs, and soon 
dashed into a dark narrow passage between swampy 
islands, infested with alligators, snakes, and all sorts 
of villainous reptiles, and, as night was now ap- 
proaching, we looked out for a convenient place to 
anchor until the morning. The most important point 
in selecting a river anchorage (where the foliage 
is so dense) is to secure a position where some slight 
opening in the surrounding woods allows a draught 
of air to approach, and blow away the mosquitoes, 
which literally swarm in myriads, and are a most 
intolerable nuisance.' Already we had several men 
on the sick list from their bites, which produced a 
most painful swelling, and altered the personal 
appearance of the individual bitten so much that 
his best friend would not know him. It would be 
more pleasant to anchor at night in the middle of 
the stream; but in addition to the great depth of 
water and strong current, it would be attended with 
the danger of being run down by the vessels naviga- 
ting at night ; for now the allied armies were march- 
ing on Corrientes, all supplies were sent up to that 



30 LA PLATA, AND 

port, and the passage of transports and store ships 
was now constant. We dropped our anchor in the 
most open spot we could find, about twenty yards 
from the bank, in four-fathom water, and tried to go 
to sleep, amidst a humming and croaking from the 
insect world enough to awaken the seven sleepers. 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 31 



CHAPTEE III. 

DANGERS OF NAVIGATING THE PARANA — STRIKING A SANDBANK — LA 
PAZ — SCENE OF NAYAL ACTION BETWEEN BRAZILIANS AND PARA- 
GUAYANS — CRUELTY OF THE PARAGUAYANS DURING THE CAMPAIGN 
IN CORRIENTES — PREPARATIONS FOR ENGAGEMENT — ALARM OF 

RESIDENTS — STRENGTH OF BRAZILIAN FLEET BRILLIANT AFFAIR 

AT THE "pass OF CUEYOS " VISIT TO" THE BRAZILIAN COMMODORE 

— DETAINED AT CORRIENTES — TAKING THE EVENING BATH — THE 
CORRIENTINOS — THE TOWN — INCIDENT IN A CAFE. 

The principal danger attending the navigation of 
the Parana is the uncertainty of the position of the 
numerous sandbanks, which have no fixed point, but 
are continually shifting about, so that the channel 
of the river may be on one side in the beginning of 
the year, and on the other side the latter part. 

The pilots judge principally by the eye, standing 
well up in the rigging, where they can see the dis- 
coloured water, which has a much lighter appearance 
over the banks than in the main channel, although 
e"verywhere the water is thick with mud. The sur- 
vey of the river made by Captain Sulivan in H.M.S, 
Fhihmel is most valuable in pointing out the pro- 
bable locality of the more difficult passes, but is not 
to be depended upon for taking one through from 
the cause before mentioned. 

Our passage hitherto had been prosperous ; we had 
passed sandbanks innumerable, and had seen num- 



32 LA PLATA, AND 

bers of vessels hard and fast aground, waiting for 
the river to grow. The periodical rise of the Parana 
commences in December and continues until April, 
the depth of water sometimes increasing as much as 
three fathoms ; it then falls again until the end of 
July. The remainder of the year is uncertain, and 
the alteration slight, the river keeping a medium 
depth. A vessel getting aground with a falling 
river is placed in a very awkward position ; for, unless 
she is well manned and has large anchors and cables, 
and these are prom;^*:ly used, she is left high and 
dry for some three . oi' four months. We saw num- 
bers of merchant ships so circumstanced, the portion 
of the crew left to take care of them quietly waiting 
for the river to rise. Our own good fortune deserted 
us at last, for one fine morning we were steaming 
along and had just opened out a reach of the river 
(the pilot was at the foremasthead conning the 
ship), when up we went on a sandbank. The ship 
must have run into a ciil de sac, for the current, 
which was running at least four knots an hour, set 
us bodily down, but only to place us more firmly on 
the bank. The engines had been promptly stopped, 
and as we had been talking about the fate of vessels 
running ashore on a falling river only a short time 
before, the alternative was painfully apparent to us. 
Every one worked with a will — anchors laid out, 
weights shifted — all to no purpose ; in a very short 
time our stern was embedded in the bank as well as 
the rest of the ship ; so there was nothing for it but to 
clear everything out, and land it on the beach. This 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 33 

was no joke, for we only had two small gigs in the 
shape of boats, and the beach was half a mile off, with 
a current of four knots running down the river. How- 
ever, there was no time for consideration, so we set to 
work night and day, and, to our intense gratification, 
after landing all the coal, off she came with a jerk, 
the current sweeping her down so swiftly that if we 
had not been ready with an extra anchor we should 
have been carried on to another bank astern. It was 
a great relief getting away from this place, for on an 
adjoining bank was to be seen the remains of a fine 
large brig that had run ashore some time before, and 
had got filled with sand and was now a wreck, the 
weight having broken her back. 

We embarked our stores again and started off, but as 
we were all thoroughly fagged out, we selected an open 
place clear of mosquitoes and anchored for the night, 
when, after getting rid of some of the accumulation of 
coal-dust, the men were soon asleep. The sailors en- 
joy the unlimited supply of fresh water which they get 
in this river cruising, and are never tired of washing 
the ship, themselves, or their clothes. When they 
are on salt water, of course the supply of fresh is 
limited. At Monte Yideo, although it is considerably 
inside the mouth of the river, the water is salt, ex- 
cept occasionally when the river is very full ; then it 
suffices for washing purposes. 

Our accident made the pilot very cautious. He 
told us when last he was up the river (three months 
before) the main channel ran right through where the 
bank at present was. We were now near La Paz, and 

D 



34 LA PLATA, AND 

the windings of the river were most tortuous. The 
water was rather low, and frequently we had to send 
a boat ahead to sound, the ship following carefully 
in her wake. The pilot had an ingenious method of 
running the vessel quietly up against a sandbank 
when he was not exactly certain of its position, on 
purpose to ascertain its precise locality. He did this 
several times, not bumping hard enough to do any 
damage, but still quite sufficiently near danger to 
make it unpleasantly exciting. I objected to this 
after a short time, as being too hazardous, and sent 
him ahead in a boat. 

The merchant vessels which trade on this river are 
invariably supplied with a good large boat for laying 
out a bower anchor, and at least two deck-tackles 
of heavy purchase, ready for heaving the ship off, 
if she should ground on a bank. Even in small 
schooners I noticed tackles out of all proportion to 
their size, which could not have been used for any 
other purpose but heaving off the shore. 

We were now getting more than half-way on our 
journey. We had passed Santa Fe on the right bank 
of the river and Parana on the left, both consider- 
able towns ; the former is the chief town of the 
province bearing the same name, the latter is in 
Entre Eios. We saw here two steamers laden with 
coal for the Brazilian fleet at Corrientes, and a fine 
large transport full of troops going to join the army. 
The transport had been a blockade-runner during 
the American war. The Brazilians employed a 
great number of them, and Eio was considered a 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 35 

safe market at that time for anything in the shape 
of a hlockade-runner. They were found to he par- 
ticularly useful in the river, from their light draught 
of water and powerful engines, which enabled them to 
keep up their speed against the strong current. Many 
of these vessels were commanded by Englishmen, 
and the engineers were invariably English. Their 
crews were a mixture of all nations, but the money 
they were paid with was always the same — English 
sovereigns. So, as the Brazilians bought steamers, 
stores, provisions, and hired men with English money, 
it may be said that England has had no slight in- 
fluence on the issue of the war. I have not yet 
heard any estimate of the probable expenses of the 
campaign,^3which is now in its fifth year, but, from 
the distance everything has to be transported, and 
the great waste of life by sword and sickness, it may 
be expected to startle those concerned when it is 
known. 

We were now approaching the scene of the naval 
action of June, 1865, between the Brazilians and 
Argentines and the Paraguayan fleet and shore 
batteries. The allied fleet was lying at anchor off 
the Riachuelo in Corrientes (which was in the hands 
of the Paraguayans), and fally prepared for an 
attack — fires banked, boarding-nettings up, and guns 
cast loose — when the Paraguayan fleet, some dozen 
steamers, towing a number of ehatas, all crowded 
with troops, suddenly appeared coming round a 
bend in the river full speed before a four-knot cur- 
rent. They dashed alongside the allied ships, and 



36 LA PLATA, AND 

a desperate boarding action took place. The attack 
was so sudden and fierce that at first the allies 
were decidedly getting the worst of it, but at last 
their ships got under weigh and steamed to each 
other's assistance, running down the chatas and small 
Paraguayan steamers, who were ill able to cope with 
such powerful adversaries, and causing great slaughter 
amongst the Paraguayan troops, numbers of whom 
were drowned when the chatas sank, the rapid current 
whirling them away in a moment. In the mean time 
the Paraguayan shore- batteries were not idle. They 
brought guns close down to the water's edge, and did 
considerable damage to the allies. A Brazilian cor- 
vette, while making a circle preparatory to ramming a 
Paraguayan steamer, ran full speed on to a sandbank, 
and was lost. The Paraguayans retreated after a 
loss of five steamers (two of them mere launches) and 
several chatas. Their loss in men must have been 
very great, from the number drowned. The allied 
loss was also considerable. The Paraguayans, in 
their desperation while boarding, would frequently 
drag their adversary overboard with them, when both 
would be lost. 

The Paraguayans had established the reputation 
of being devils incarnate when their blood was up, 
and the raw Brazilian levies (principally Negroes) 
had a wholesome dread of them. A strong body 
of marines or soldiers were stationed in each ship 
to keep the new hands up to their work. Every one 
spoke of the pluck of the Paraguayans, but also 
of their savage cruelty. At one part of the river 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 37 

we were pointed out an estancia, with the house and 
outbuildings, partially burnt, and the country for 
miles round white with the bleached bones of cattle 
slaughtered in sheer wantonness by them during 
their recent occupation of the province. This was 
near Bella Yista. The owner of the estancia assured 
me he was only one of many sufferers. His name 
was Scott, and he described the scene at his house. 
A detachment of the Paraguayan army, under com- 
mand of an officer, marched up to the door, and after 
speaking to him a few words, which he did not un- 
derstand, dragged him off and put him in irons ; 
the men then dispersed over the estate, destroying 
everything they could lay hands on ; they murdered 
the capataz and two servants (one a woman), and 
mutilated their bodies. The house and farm stock 
of implements were burnt, and the cattle slaugh- 
tered. Mr. Scott had fortunately sent his wife and 
children away some time before, but he was in im- 
minent danger of losing his own life for several 
days ; he attributes his safety to the fact of his being 
English, which he took care to let them know. At 
an adjoining estate, a Mr. Grannon was stabbed in 
five places, and left for dead ; two women servants, 
after being subjected to the most abominable outrage, 
had their throats cut. In short, the description of 
the Paraguayan campaign in Corrientes reads like 
an incursion of devils, for there was no opposition, 
no fighting, to excite their fury ; all was done in 
cold blood, under Lopez' immediate and personal 
command. He will have a deal to answer for, if the 



38 LA PLATA, AND 

allies capture him. His defenders (for, curiously 
enough, he has some), say that at head-quarters his 
troops were fairly disciplined and well in hand. It 
was the inferior officers, with separate commands, 
who did all the mischief ; and they were aggravated 
by the farmers on the river-bank furnishing the Bra- 
zilian fleet with provisions. However, the feeling 
was so bitter against him that his life would not 
have been worth many minutes' purchase at that 
time in the hands of the natives. 

We were now steaming along the dense woods of the 
Grrand Chaco, which extend along the right bank of the 
Parana and Paraguay far away inland an immense 
distance. The region is quite unexplored, and only 
inhabited by tribes of Indians, savage and at deadly 
enmity with the provinces round them. The woods 
abound with game and wild beasts, the Indians 
occasionally bringing in very handsome skins and 
feathers for sale. We saw large flocks of geese and 
ducks flying inland, and one afternoon a fine speci- 
men of the puma tribe, which the natives call tigers, 
came down to the river-side to drink, just as we were 
passing. He did not notice us at first, but before 
we could get a rifle ready, he had bounded into the 
jungle. 

Corrientes now appeared in sight ; we could see 
the church steeples over a point of land, and flags 
were flying in all directions ; evidently some grand 
occasion. On rounding the point, the whole scene 
opened out very effectively. The allied fleets and a 
crowd of transports were at anchor in the middle of 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 39 

the river, opposite tlie town, and all dressed with 
flags in honour of the Emperor of Brazil's birthday. 
The river here, over seven hundred miles from the 
sea, is as broad as the Solent between Calshot and 
the Isle of Wight, and has a truly noble beauty 
peculiar to itself. The town is on the left bank, and 
is slightly elevated in site. Custom-house Point 
stands out conspicuously, with a small battery and 
flagstaff on it, and with another point further up 
forms a sort of bay, where the small craft anchor 
close on to the beach. We steamed up through the 
fleet, and anchored near the Brazilian admiral, for 
I wished to see him before going any further. As 
the anchor dropped, the masthead ensigns were 
hoisted in honour of the occasion, and at the same 
time the officer of the guard came on board to pay 
the usual compliments, and thank us for recognizing 
the Emperor's birthday. It was rather late to pay 
my respects to the Admiral, so I desired the officer 
of the guard to say I would call in the morning. 

The Paraguayans were expected to be getting 
fire-ships ready to attack the allies, and the officer 
of the guard said they were in nightly expectation 
of an attack; half the crew remained at quarters 
with guns cast loose all night, boarding-nettings 
were triced up, boats rowing guard, and every 
precaution taken to prevent surprise. We asked 
where the army was. He said they were amusing 
themselves somewhere about the province, but did 
not know exactly where, and considered it a great 
reproach that they did not advance quicker ; the 



40 LA PLATA, AND 

fleet were all ready, and anxious to go on. The 
Captain of the Port now arrived. He told us 
the troops were about forty miles off, and were 
obliged to move slowly in consequence of sickness 
amongst the men, who were nearly all young sol- 
diers on their first march, and the General was 
anxious to get them up to Paso de la Patria in 
good condition, when they did reach it, ready for 
crossing ; but they were not expected before Christ- 
mas. 

There was a considerable garrison at Corrientes, 
composed chiefly of Argentine troops, including a 
regiment of Corrientino cavalry, but not of sufficient 
strength to resist the Paraguayans if they came across 
the river again in force ; but this was not considered 
probable, as they were seen to be making earth- 
works and other preparations for resisting the allies 
when they tried to cross into Paraguay. Yet the 
townspeople, merchants, and others were in a ter- 
rible state of alarm, making arrangements for a re- 
treat every time they heard a gun go off on the 
Paraguayan side of the river, which often happened 
when they were exercising their men firing at a 
mark. 

Soon after we arrived, one of the English resi- 
dents came on board. He expressed the greatest 
delight at seeing the flag again, and said he Lad not 
had a single night's rest during its absence. The 
Paraguayans had committed all sorts of villianies 
during their occupation of the town, and he con- 
sidered it a miracle that he was alive to tell the tale. 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 



41 



He was a small man, and had been more frightened 
than hurt ; for a considerable time he had been 
obliged to take a loaded rifle to bed with him, ready 
for an emergency, to the great inconvenience of his 
wife ; and, altogether, he appeared to take a very 
dismal view of aflPairs. I asked him why he did not 
take his wife down to Buenos Ayres, out of the way, 
and stay there with her until the fighting was over ; 
but he did not like the idea. He preferred remain- 
ing, and have a grievance to write to the Consul 
about, and a man-of-war to protect him. There 
were several Englishmen at Asuncion similarly 
circumstanced, who preferred running the risk of 
getting murdered, in addition to losing their pro- 
perty, instead of making a sacrifice and leaving the 
country. Of course, these few individuals cause 
as much correspondence and misunderstanding as a 
whole nation, because the general principle is in- 
volved. However, I comforted my friend, and told 
him a boat should be in readiness to bring him on 
board directly the Paraguayans made their appear- 
ance, night or day. I must say I admired his pluck 
in hanging on to his goods ; and certainly his virtue 
has been rewarded, for no doubt he has now made a 
very good thing of it : Corrientes being the base of 
operations, articles of clothing and other English 
goods commanded any price, and were eagerly sought 
for by the soldiers of the allied armies. 

Yiscount Tamandare was in command of the 
Brazilian fleet, which consisted of the following 
ships : — 



42 



LA PLATA, AND 



Name. 


Guns. 


H.P. 


Seamen. 


Marines. 


Itahy 


6 


100 


86 


17 


Mearim 


8 


100 


120 


17 


Mage 


8 


120 


120 


20 


Berberibe... 


8 


130 


140 


22 i 


Iquatary .... 


6 


100 


86 


17 


Tpiranga . . . 


6 


100 


86 


17 


Araquaby , . . 


6 


100 


86 


17 


Maracana... 


2 


80 


75 


15 


Taquary 


6 


80 


86 


17 



The admiral, who was a most distinguished officer, 
and had served with Admiral Grrenfell when he 
commanded the Brazilian navy, was not present 
with the fleet, having been summoned to Buenos 
Ayres, in order to concert measures for supplying 
his fleet, during the forthcoming campaign, with 
the Brazilian Minister, an especial envoy (Senor 
Octaviano) having been sent from Eio to the Ar- 
gentine capital on purpose to arrange with the 
different chiefs for the future movements of the 
expedition. 

Commodore Barrosso, lately created Baron Ama- 
zonas for his gallant action of Riachuelo, was in 
temporary command. The Argentine squadron 
was under Admiral Muratori, who had lately 
performed a most dashing exploit in running the 
gauntlet of some strong Paraguayan batteries at the 
pass of Cuevos. His flag-ship, which had been a 
packet- vessel of slight scantling, was quite unsuited 
to cope with heavy cannon. However, Muratori was 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 43 

determined to show his men how to stand fire, and 
how often boldness was the safest policy ; so, out of 
the two channels which were ayailable, he chose the 
one nearest the enemies' works, and carried his ship 
through a hurricane of shot and shell safely to the 
other side of the pass. This brilliant little aJffair was 
considered to have been of the greatest possible 
advantage to the new and inexperienced crews of the 
fleet, by showing them the efPect of a bold and 
dashing policy in dealing with these river batteries, 
which, from being generally placed on a height, were 
more formidable at some distance off than when 
very near. 

The next morning I called on the commodore ; I 
found his ship, like all the others, cleared for action, 
with a large supply of shot on deck. Arm-racks, with 
rifles and cutlasses, were fitted amidships ready for 
immediate use ; boarding-nettings were triced up, 
and a number of sentries posted round the decks, 
while signal-men were stationed at the mastheads to 
keep a sharp look-out for the enemy. The seamen 
appeared to be chiefly negroes and mulattos : and 
certainly, when one reflects on what they have gone 
through lately, it astonishes one to think what dis- 
cipline and actual experience will do. The marines 
were a fine smart-looking body of men, dressed in a 
tunic, shako, and blue trousers ; they were armed 
with smooth-bored percussion muskets, but shortly 
afterwards received rifles. I arrived on board the 
Commodore's ship just at the time he was receiving 
the morning reports from the captains of the different 



44 LA PLATA, AND 

ships. I explained that I had come to pay my 
respects, and ask permission to pass the blockade 
and proceed on my errand up to Asuncion. The 
conversation commenced in French, but finding he 
preferred Spanish, which I could speak a little, 
we continued it in the latter language. He told me 
his ships were not likely to move for some time, and 
that I was at perfect liberty to go where I wished, 
and he would be happy to give me any assistance. I 
was most anxious to find out whether coal was to be 
procured in the neighbourhood ; so, after thanking 
him, I asked if there was any to spare from the 
stores on shore (everything being under government 
protection now in the town, of course, if it came from 
any source, it must have been from him). Directly 
I mentioned the word " carbon " he smiled. " Ah," 
he said, "you are out of the land of coal now; I 
don't believe there is a ton of it nearer than Parana, 
except the supply actually in our own bunkers. "We 
are burning wood for all ordinary purposes, and only 
the guard-ships keep fires lighted. You won't get 
any coal up here. The Paraguayans burn wood, 
and very bad it is, damp and small ; so you had 
better be careful of what you have at present." 

I then took leave of him, and went on deck with 
one of the captains who was talking to me. He said, 
" Your boat's crew are sailor-like looking fellows; we 
don't often see such fresh complexions up here." 

I gave him the latest news from Monte Yideo, and 
told him that one iron-clad had arrived, and two 
more were expected shortly. He said they would be 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 45 

glad to see them, for all were anxious for an advance ; 
their present life was most irksome, expecting attacks 
bj fire-ships, and being obliged to keep half the crew 
at quarters all night. 

From the Brazilian commodore I went past the 
fleet to the Argentine admiral, who was anchored in 
shore. The ships were in the same state of pre- 
paration for battle as the Brazilians, boarding- 
nettings triced up, men under arms, and guns cast 
loose. Admiral Muratori received me in his cabin ; 
he is a fine, frank, sailor-like looking man of forty- 
five, and we were soon deep in a conversation about 
iron-clads and turrets. He showed me a sketch of 
his action at Cuevos, and expressed his regret at not 
having had an iron-clad then. He is a great admirer 
of everything English, and spoke with great respect 
of Mr. Parish, our consul at Buenos Ayres, whom he 
knew well. 

His flag-ship, the Guarde Nacional, was in good 
order, clean and smart, showing a great contrast to 
the Brazilian ships. Many of his men were English, 
particularly amongst the stokers and engineer officers. 

From the Argentine flag-ship I went to the 
Italian gunboat: she had lately returned from 
Paraguay, and her commander kindly gave me a 
copy of the Paraguayan instructions for the naviga- 
tion of the river, and rules to be observed on passing 
Humaita and the other forts. He was now await- 
ing orders from his senior officer at Monte Yideo, 
and expected directions to return to that port ; his 
ship was anchored in rear of the Brazilian fleet, and 



46 LA PLATA, AND 

he did not intend going beyond them, in order to be 
clear in case of the Paraguayan fleet making an attack. 

On leaving the Italian gunboat, I first visited the 
captain of the port, and then went on board my ship. 
The next day, having completed all arrangements, I 
fully intended starting up the river, but the mail 
arriving in the mean time brought me orders to re- 
main at Corrientes until further directions from the 
admiral. I imagine the Brazilian government were 
jealous of foreign men-of-war being in advance of 
their ships, as indn-ectly afi'ording encouragement to 
the Paraguayans, who might be stimulated by the 
presence of a foreign squadron to show off their 
powers at the expense of the Brazilian fleet. 

The commander of the Italian gunboat had orders 
not only to abstain from advancing beyond the 
Brazilian fleet, but also to retire if they did, and he 
fully expected to leave the river altogether very 
shortly ; the French gunboat had gone abeady. 
These orders quite altered my plans. I was an- 
chored now in-shore of the advance ship of the 
Brazilian fleet, a position of course inconvenient in 
case of fire-ships ; so in the afternoon I weighed and 
dropped down with the tide to a small bay below 
Custom-house Point, where I found a snug berth 
well astern and clear of the Brazilian fleet, while the 
projecting bluff would afford considerable protection 
in case of the much-dreaded attack by fire-ships 
coming off. Here we again anchored, about three 
hundred yards from the shore, in four-fathom 
water, with a fine sandy beach to land on, and some 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 47 

luxuriant orange groves reaching close down to it. 
The town would be about a mile off, with a strag- 
gling suburb reaching to within a quarter of that 
distance. The surrounding country was well wooded, 
but this being the hot season everything green had 
been burnt up, and the late Paraguayan occupation 
had reduced all the country-houses to ruins. 

Early in the evening a most picturesque scene 
presented itself. The inhabitants of the town came 
out en masse to bathe. It appeared this was their 
favourite spot for performing that evolution, so 
necessary in a hot climate ; and now they came 
trooping down by fifties. Men, wonien, and children 
were soon all splashing about in the water, got up 
in the gaudiest of bathing dresses, quite regardless of 
the close proximity of ourselves, and several mer- 
chant schooners anchored close to. It certainly 
must be a great comfort, having such a fine stream 
at hand for performing one's ablutions in. The 
river-water at Corrientes, unlike that in the narrow 
marshy parts of the channel, where it gets dis- 
coloured by mud, is clear and wholesome. Our 
friends the bathers kept close in shore, for the 
current runs with dangerous rapidity a short distance 
off. The uproar was tremendous ; women and 
children screaming with laughter. The good people 
were evidently making up for the silence of the early 
part of the day, for at noon one might walk through 
the whole city without hearing a sound, or meeting 
a single person. 

The Corrientinos are a fine handsome race of 



48 LA PLATA, AND 

people. The women are celebrated for their good 
complexions, and the generally robust health of the 
inhabitants is attributed very much to the purity 
of the water supply, which is always close at hand. 
It is also said that the slight flavour the sarsa- 
parilla plant imparts to it is beneficial. The climate 
of the province is dry and pure, when not in the 
vicinity of the marshes. But age appears to tell 
very quickly on the women : this is considered 
due to the fact of their being obliged to keep in- 
doors out of the sun, which prevents them taking 
the requisite amount of exercise necessary for health. 
The old men, on the contrary, were upright and 
vigorous. 

Corrientes is the chief town of the province of 
the same name, and, from its position at the point 
of junction of the two great rivers, the Paraguay 
and Parana, has a commercial importance which 
places it third in the ranks of the cities of the 
Argentine Confederation. Its position on the map 
at once marked it as the future base of operations 
for the army invading Paraguay, and ever since 
the commencement of the war it has been more 
of a military arsenal than a commercial depot. 

The town, which presents rather a striking ap- 
pearance, from the whiteness of the buildings and 
the handsome Moorish castle, which occuj)ies a 
prominent position in the foreground, is built on 
slightly elevated ground, and reaches close down to 
the river. Here the water is so deep that vessels 
of considerable size lay with their sterns touching 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 49 

tke beaoh, the rest of tlie liull being in deep water ; 
an anchor is dropped some distance out to haul off 
by. There are no wharves or built landing-places. 
Many of the buildings are of ancient date. One church 
has 1588 cut on a stone slab, under which is placed 
a wooden cross, celebrated for having been instru- 
mental in saving the existence of the settlement 
during an attack by the Indians in 1588. It appears 
the small body of Spaniards who defended the place 
put up this cross, and swore to stand by it till 
they were all killed sooner than give up the posi- 
tion. They were surrounded by a multitude of 
Indians, and had given up all hope of life, when 
suddenly a tremendous storm of lightning burst on 
the Indians, striking many of the foremost of them 
dead, and so frightening the remainder, who con- 
sidered that some supernatural agency was assisting 
the Spaniards, that they hastily retreated. The 
Spaniards, of course, also believed it to be an inter- 
position of their patron saint, and in the course of 
time a church was built to commemorate the event. 
The cross remained in its place for some years, but 
was afterwards removed to the church, and a stone 
monument now stands in its place. 

The Plaza is generally the first point one makes 
for on landing in a Spanish-built town ; at Corrientes 
the Plaza was rather out of condition, but it was 
large, and the buildings round it were handsome. 
The cathedral occupied nearly the whole of one of 
its sides, the town-hall another. The governor's 
house stands in a street leading out of it to the left : 



.50 LA PLATA, AND 

passing this on to the right brought you into the 
best part of the town, where were the shops and 
market-place, hotels and cafes, &c. We gladly passed 
these to get out of the way of the numerous camp- 
followers who were now collecting round the troops 
in the city. The market-place was well worth 
seeing, not so much for its convenience of arrange- 
ment, as for the interesting and picturesque ap- 
pearance of the country people. One group was 
especially striking ; three gauchos standing by their 
horses, and buying some article of horse furni- 
ture at a stall. They were big men, and their dress 
made them look still larger ; the colours of their 
ponchos were different, but with that exception they 
were very much alike : a slouched felt hat, poncho 
of bright colours, scarf round the waist, and stout 
leggings of undressed hide, which were made like 
boots, a long pair of steel spurs, and heavy 
thong whip completed the costume. The horses 
were standing by themselves, perfectly quiet and 
steady, with their reins thrown over the head, 
trailing on the ground, a position the well- drilled 
animals are accustomed to keep while their masters 
are dismounted. Numbers of pretty girls were 
coming into the market, some to make purchases, 
others bringing in vegetables and poultry, carrying 
their baskets on the head. They, like the men, 
affect a variety of colours in their dress ; the brightest 
appeared most in favour. The poorer class wear a 
shawl over their head and shoulders, those better off 
wear the mantilla ; but both manage their respective 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 51 

garments with infinite grace. The young rosy- 
cheeked peasant girl coming in to market with 
her basket of vegetables on her head, tripping along 
with bare feet, and holding her shawl tightly across 
her face, as she passes just drops the corner sufficiently 
low to let you see her beautiful dark eyes, and then 
shuts it up again like a flash of lightning. The 
beauty in the mantilla does much the same, only she 
has a fan to assist her, and no basket to make her 
keep her head up. They all manage to walk well, 
notwithstanding the villainous state of the streets 
and roads. 

One was painfully struck on walking through 
the city with the evident signs of demoralization 
caused by the presence of such a large body of troops 
and their followers ; debauchery of every kind was 
going on, often ending in murder. Money was 
spent with the most reckless profusion, articles of 
food and clothing were exorbitantly dear; in fact, 
meat was difficult to get at all, as the Paraguayans 
had carried off or killed all the cattle. Drink was 
the only cheap item, and that must have been com- 
pounded of the vilest decoctions, for it appeared to 
make persons who took much of it nearly mad. 

One afternoon while passing the principal cafe iu 
the place, which is a fine house and handsomely fur- 
nished, I heard a tremendous row going on inside, 
and went in to see what was the matter. Here I 
found a Brazilian shying decanters and glasses at 
some large mirrors which were placed in the panels 
round the saloon. He was an officer of some sort, 

E 2 



52 LA PLATA, AND 

and had his sword on. The waiters were screaming 
at him, hut keeping at a respectful distance. Just 
as I arrived, the landlord rushed in and secured him 
from doing any further mischief. He was half-mad 
I should have said, and considerahly the worse for 
liquor. However, he sat down, and taking a good- 
sized hag out of his pouch, which he wore over the 
shoulder, emptied out some hundred sovereigns, and 
told the landlord to help himself. I did not wait to 
see the finale, hut thought to myself English sove- 
reigns got into strange hands occasionally. At this 
time the sovereign was much more commonly in 
circulation than the native coin, and quite as well 
known to the people. 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 53 



CHAPTEE lY. 

SENOR FARREAS, THE GOVERNOR OF CORRIENTES THE PAMPERO — 

NATIVE METHOD OF FISHING CHRISTMAS ON BOARD — FETES ON 

SHORE — VISITING ON NEW TEAr's-DAY — INVITATION TO ATTEND 
A TERTULIA — THE SPANISH WALTZ. 

A GENTLEMAN Called Oil me the next day wlio had 
been doing duty as consular agent. We have no 
regular consul at Corrientes, the nearest being at 
Eosario ; but this gentleman kindly offered his 
services, which I was glad to accept, as I wanted 
to call on the governor and other local authorities, 
and did not exactly know where to find them. 
We arranged to call on the governor next day, 
and then ride out to see something of the 
country. The following afternoon we arrived 
at government house, having asked permission 
previously to present ourselves. The town was 
under martial and civil law, so there was a mili- 
tary and civil governor at the same time. General 
Grelly y Obes was the military chief, and Seiior 
Farreas the civil. It was the latter we came to see. 
He was a plain country gentleman, and very much 
averse to mixing himself with the political world ; 
but war had imperatively demanded his presence. 
He was wealthy, and had considerable influence in 
the country, so was elected governor on Greneral 



54 LA PLATA, AND 

Caceres joining the army. He received us cour- 
teously, and did not appear to keep up any state 
or ceremony ; a porter at the outside gate was the 
only official-looking person about the premises, and 
he was dressed very plainly. 

The governor regretted things were in such an 
imsettled state, that a stranger must form a poor idea 
of the town and country ; but in quieter times he said 
there was a very pleasant society in Corrientes ; now 
all the best people had gone down to Buenos Ayres, 
away from the war. We strolled out to a veranda, 
and after a short conversation took our leave, and 
started off for an evening ride to a country house 

belonging to Mr. D . The roads were in pretty 

good order, it now being summer ; but I was told in 
winter they were just as bad as those of Monte Yideo. 
We passed several fields of yerba, and a small cotton 
plantation ; but the cultivation all looked miserably 
neglected. We were pointed out the monument 
before mentioned, erected in memory of the miracu- 
lous deliverance of a few brave Spaniards. On one 
side of the slab is a representation of the action, 
showing the lightning in the act of striking near the 
cross ; and if the picture is not exaggerated, one can 
easily imagine that the Indians thought it high time 
to be off. The arms of the city are founded on this 
event, seven points and a fiery cross. A short distance 
to the left of the road stands the Protestant burial 
ground, which was carefully respected by the Para- 
guayans during their occupation of the country; 
which fact tells in their favour, for the relatives of 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 55 

those buried there nearly all left the place, and went 
to Buenos Ayres and Monte Yideo, leaving the 
ground to take care of itself. 

On arriving at the quinta we found mate and 
other refreshments awaiting us. Some very fine 
grapes were on the table, which had been raised in 
the garden without any especial care ; and Mr. 

D said there would be no difficulty in growing 

a sufficient quantity to make wine if they so wished. 
He cultivated a considerable quantity of tobacco on 
his estate, and some of his men were making cigars 
during the time of our visit. The leaf appeared 
coarse and full of fibre, but the natives use it in pre- 
ference to that coming from abroad, being much 
cheaper. 

We rode back during the evening, and dined at 
the table d^hote. The night was unusually close 
and oppressive when I arrived on board, not a breath 
of air could be felt anywhere ; the only sound was the 
tide rushing past the ship's side. For some weeks 
the men had been obliged to sleep on the upper deck, 
the heat being so great below. I had arranged cross- 
ridge ropes for them to hang their hammocks to ; 
so, with the awnings sloped, they were well clear 
of damp decks or dew. By this time they were all 
asleep, or trying to arrive at that point as nearly as 
the mosquitoes would allow them. You would hear 
a slap as some individual struck at a little demon 
stinging him on the forehead (a favourite place with 
mosquitoes) . Some one else would groan," Oh-h-h-h ! " 
and tumble about in agony, having given up the 



06 LA PLATA, AND 

killing process in despair. Another tough subject 
would be snoring and grunting away through it all, 
in a happy state of oblivion to heat, mosquitoes, and 
everything else. 

I was just going to make an effort myself, and had 
been working away with a wet towel to clear off the 
thick of the buzzing multitude, when the quarter- 
master of the watch came over to me (I had a cot 
slung on deck), and said he thought a squall was 
coming on, as he heard a strange rustling of trees 
down the river. I looked out ; the night was per- 
fectly calm, and not a cloud to be seen, but I dis- 
tinctly heard the rustling in the woods some distance 
down the river. I knew this must be caused by 
wind, so at once ordered the men to be turned out, to 
lash up their hammocks, and furl the awnings. The 
ship was quite safe as regarded dragging her anchor, 
for we were in a little bay, with high ground round 
us. But I knew these Pamperos were accompanied 
with heavy rain, and whirlwinds sometimes twist 
up any canvas exposed in a moment, so I wanted to 
get the awnings and hammocks down out of the way. 
The rustling was now freshening into a dull roar, 
and clouds began to show over the trees, but still not 
a breath of air where we were. The mosquitoes had 
all vanished as if by magic, and the dogs on shore 
were howling dismally. "We were working away 
like mad to get our bedding down and awnings furled, 
when a dark mass of cloud suddenly covered the 
heavens like a curtain, and in an instant wind, rain, 
thunder, and lightning, burst on us in a mass, beating 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 57 

everybody down on the deck. Hands were by the 
anchors, and the quarter-master crouching down at 
the gangway with the lead. But I felt tolerably 
sure that all was safe, for as the Pampero blows up 
the river, and the current runs down with increased 
rapidity while it lasts, from the rain filling the river, 
one neutralizes the effect of the other. 

The wind blew so furiously that we were covered 
in a sheet of foam, which, with the rain, made it im- 
possible to see what was going on amongst the 
Brazilian ships; but we noticed one flash of light- 
ning fall where the centre of them ought to be, and 
che next morning saw a corvette with her main-top- 
mast shattered at the masthead, having been struck 
by the electric fluid. The heaviest part of the storm 
lasted about an hour, and during that time the 
lightning was awfully close ; but I am happy to say 
we escaped damage. After the centre had passed on 
up the river the wind settled down to a strong gale 
from S.W., which lasted till about three p.m. next 
day, after which it cleared off to a beautiful evening — 
the air most pleasantly fresh and cool after the blow. 

The river was soon crowded with trading vessels, 
taking advantage of the fair wind up, and the cloud 
of white canvas against the green background of 
forest made a very pretty picture. These Pamperos 
are often fatal to the river craft, sometimes catching 
them unawares, or perhaps the masters, anxious to 
take advantage of the fair wind, run the risk of its 
not being a heavy gale, keep under sail, and in the 
dark run right up into the bush, or get capsized, 



58 



when the swift current, which soon carries the best of 
swimmers down, causes great loss of life. 

The Brazilians had, with the exception of one 
vessel, come off safelj. On shore, a number of houses 
had been unroofed, and the fine orange grove near 
us had suffered severely, the fruit, now nearly ripe, 
being blown about in all directions, and many of the 
trees torn down. We took an especial interest in 
this grove, because it made such a pleasant promenade 
for us, and, after bathing on the fine sandy beach, 
one could dress under shade of the trees most luxu- 
riously. The owner of the grove had left it when 
the Paraguayans came to the country, and had gone 
south until the fighting was over. There was a large 
house on the grounds, but it was falling to pieces, 
and unoccupied. The Corrientino oranges are very 
good, and it was sad to see the beautiful groves 
being destroyed. The one near us remained in very 
fair order, but the others were all more or less damaged 
by the troops encamping under shade of them, and 
using the wood for their camp-fires. After the gale, 
the appearance of the river's bank was surprisingly 
altered ; the water had risen three fathoms, and had 
covered the beach at least one hundred yards inland. 
We noticed numbers of fish jumping, and put lines 
over to try and catch some, but did not succeed, the 
tide was too strong. 

The natives told us the best time for fish was just 
after a storm, and showed us how they caught them. 
The fisherman selects a point of rock jutting well out 
into the stream, and throws his hooks, which are 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 59 

arranged in the form of a grapnel — three being lashed 
back to back — attached to a line, as far as he can from 
him, and directly they touch the water gives the 
line several strong jerks, to make the apparatus 
look like small fry darting about, the hooks being 
burnished to increase the deception. The large fish' 
make a dash at them and get hooked generally 
through the back (no bait is used). This method 
looks simple enough, and I saw a native catch 
two dozen splendid dorados, weighing six to eight 
pounds, in less than an hour, but it must require 
immense practice, for we often tried, but never 
succeeded in handling the contrivance properly. 
If you are not sharp in hauling in after making 
your cast, the hooks sink to the bottom, and get 
entangled in the rocks. There are three kinds of 
fish in the river, particularly fine, the best of 
which by far is the dorado. It runs from three to 
ten pounds in weight, and is something like a trout 
in colour, but not in flavour. It is also deeper in 
shape, more like a snapper. 

The war news still continued the same, preparations 
not complete on the part of the allies. The Para- 
guayans occupied the same position, and we could 
hear their guns being fired daily, either for salutes 
or practice. The Brazilian fleet were busy drilling 
their men, but did not waste powder. The army 
had halted about forty miles from the town, and did 
not intend advancing yet. Christmas was now very 
near, and it became a serious question with us how 
we were to manage a pudding (without which Christ- 



60 LA PLATA, AND 

mas is unsatisfactory and incomplete). Our ship's 
supply of flour was out, and there were no raisins. 
Grave doubts were also entertained as to any being 
procurable on shore, such was the dearth of anything 
like groceries in the town. However, a hand from 
•each mess went on an exploring expedition a day or 
two before Christmas, to see what they could get. 
Meat was now a little more plentiful, but very poor, 
and always beef, no mutton to be procured ; those 
terrible Paraguayans had carried it all off. Our 
marketing party returned in the evening, tired and 
disgusted, nothing to be had but eggs and bread. 
This made Christmas a dull time ; " nothing to eat," 
as the men said, " and as hot as blazes." Christmas- 
day at last arrived, scorchingly hot, and the air alive 
with mosquitoes. After divine service and dinner — 
the only extra at the latter being pumpkin (that 
wonderful vegetable which is met with everywhere, 
and does duty in soup or tart equally well) — the 
position began to mend a little. The town was 
dressed with flags, bells were ringing, and the in- 
habitants were en fete, so the men asked to be 
allowed to go on shore and see the fun, which they 
did, returning in the evening, decidedly more 
cheerful — two, in fact, had imbibed so much of the 
city amusements as to require restraint. 

On New Year's-day there was to be a grand fiesta 
and review of the troops in garrison. The governors 
were going to high mass, and afterwards inspect the 
men in the Plaza. My friend the merchant kindly 
offered to make arrangements for me to see it; his 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 61 

house looked out upon a corner of the Plaza, so was 
conveniently placed for the occasion. We mounted 
at eleven (frightfully hot), and, in honour of the day, 
the horses were especially fresh. I wanted to 
see the sailors land with their field-pieces, so we 
first rode down to the beach opposite the ships, and 
arrived just as the men were landing. There were 
no negroes in the battalion about to take part in 
the ceremony ; and the field-piece crews were smart- 
looking men, dressed like our own people as regards 
colour of uniform, but the cut of the trousers decidedly 
foreign, and the long knife in a sheath produced a 
privateer style of appearance. The marines were 
formed separately and in full dress. When I saw 
them before they had brown overcoats on, now they 
were in blue tunics, with red facings. They were 
armed with musket, sword-bayonet, &c., and the 
officers had revolvers. All the arms, accoutrements, 
field-pieces, &c., were well burnished, and looked 
scrupulously clean. 

We rode up in rear of the detachment from the 
fleet, and on arriving at the Plaza troops were march- 
ing in from their different barracks, headed by their 
bands, and taking up positions round three sides of 
the Plaza, leaving the cathedral clear. Shortly be- 
fore noon the general commanding the troops, the 
admiral and commodore, with a large staff, arrived 
on the ground, and were received with a salute ; at 
noon the civil governor arrived and was saluted, 
bands playing and colours flying; the general and 
admiral and commodore rode up and joined him. 



62 LA PLATA, AND 

after which they went round the lines together. A 
procession of priests now appeared moving towards 
the cathedral, the officers uncovering their heads 
while they were passing. When they had entered, the 
chiefs followed ; the troops piled arms and marched 
into the cathedral, and afterwards out again by de- 
tachments. During this high mass was celebrated, the 
chiefs and officers being close up to the altar, and the 
troops in the body of the church. The choir was very 
powerful, and, in addition, a military band, stationed 
under the organ-loft, joined in at particular passages. 
The service was over by one ; the troops (and people 
generally) going out to the Plaza. I stayed behind 
a short time to listen to the Stabat Mater, which 
was being beautifully played by the organ and band. 
On reaching the Plaza again I found the troops were 
being put through some movements, and the field- 
pieces were unlimbered, but there was not space 
enough for any extended evolutions, and very shortly 
they formed ready to march offi 

The sun was broiling, so I was rejoiced when D 

proposed we should go to the veranda of his house 
and see the men as they marched home to their 
barracks. I particularly wanted to see how the 
Argentine regiments turned out, for it was known 
they had a number of English and Germans in 
their ranks, and were said to be in good order ; so 
we took up our position at the corner of the veranda, 
close by where they must pass. The road was so 
much cut up that it was impossible for them to march 
well after they had once left the Plaza ; but as they 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 63 

approaclied, headed by their band, they certainly 
looked good soldiers. The 3rd Eegiment headed the 
column ; their uniform was dust colour with red 
facings, tunic and trousers made of coarse cotton 
cloth, leather leggings, small kepi shako, the same 
colour as the tunic, with red band and regimental 
number in front ; they were armed with smooth bores 
and bayonet, officers had revolvers and sword. Tou 
noticed by their complexions that they were not 
natives of the country, and most of them looked very 
young ; but all stepped out smartly, notwithstanding 
the holes in the road. About half the regiment had 
passed, when I noticed one of the men in the ranks 
nearest me look up in a very marked manner and 
salute hurriedly, as if he did not want his own officers 
to see him. A gentleman near me saw it also, and 
said, " That man appears to know who you are." 

I said, " I suppose he recognized the uniform ; 
I know there are numbers of Englishmen in the 
Argentine army." 

We thought no more about it at the time, and 
soon after, all the troops having passed, we went in to 
luncheon. 

The streets had been crowded with people all the 
morning, all dressed in their holiday clothes, and 
keeping up the occasion ; every one calls on his neigh- 
bour on New Year's-day, old quarrels are made up, 
and everybody is supposed to be in a good humour. 
Our vis-d-vis in a balcony across the street were two 
Ivery pretty sefioritas, and while the troops had been 
passing we had exchanged sympathizing glances 



64 LA PLATA, AND 

occasionally as the opportunity offered— thinking no 
doubt of the poor soldiers, so soon to become food for 
Paraguayan powder. After luncheon we decided on 
paying our respects (quite correct on New Tear's- 

day), so over we went, led by D , who was 

elderly and also slightly acquainted with the family. 
We were received with great courtesy by an old 
duenna, who suddenly appeared on the scene, and 
were ushered into a room where a table was arranged 
with sweetmeats. The duenna was disposed to be 
stiff, most likely had been done out of her siesta ; but 
the seiioritas now arrived and soon entered into the 
fun of the thing. Pepita, the eldest, told me she 
liked to look at the Argentine soldiers because they 
were fair, and had such lovely golden hair ; she hated 
dark people. Was I fond of tertulias ? because her 
mamma was going to give one this evening, and on 
New Year's-night people did not require introduc- 
tions, and could come without being especially 
invited. 

" But, Pepita" (I had learnt her name from the 
mamma having previously mentioned it), " surely 
you would not require a formal introduction to me V 
laying emphasis on the me. 

'' Oh, yes, I should after to-day." 

''Ah! Pepita" (what a pretty name Pepita is!). 
I was just becoming eloquent, when in came, to my 
intense grief, a whole tribe of men, women, and 
children, friends of the family. I had only time to 
give a hasty pressure of the hand, and whisper 
"This evening!" when Pepita was seized en and 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 65 

kissed in the most annoying manner by about half 

a dozen people. D , who had been under fire 

of the duenna, also rose at the same time as myself, 
and, bowing to the numerous company, we retreated. 

I said, " Pepita is a pretty girl. What is her other 
name ? and who is she ?'* 

D said, "I never met her before in my life, 

but I know the father is agent to the present gover- 
nor's estate some eighty miles up the country ; his 
name is Estevan." 

I told him of the invitation to the tertulia, 
and asked if it would do to go. He answered, 
' ' Oh, yes, certainly ! I'll go with you ; Madame 
Estevan told me they were going to have a dance in 
the evening. Come and dine with me, and we will 
go together." This I declined, as I wanted to go on 
board and change my uniform for mufti ; but I told 
him 1 would join him in the evening. 

We rode down to the boat together, as he had 
nothing particular to do, passing by the way seve- 
ral parties, generally consisting of three or four 
persons each, going about from house to house, calling 
on each other, and all in the highest possible spirits; 
some had been evidently taking more than sweet- 
meats. D said these days of fiesta were, like 

the carnival- time, a great nuisance. The carnival 
was particularly disagreeable from the weight of the 
missiles they threw about, and the dangerous materials 
of which they were composed. ''In fact," he said, 
"the whole thing has degenerated into a scramble 
and row. There is a gentleman in the city who lost 



66 LA PLATA, AND 

his eye some few carnivals ago by an eggshell, full of 
miid, striking it. The custom is for the gentlemen 
to parade the streets, and the ladies to shy things at 
them, jugs of water, &c., from the windows. Loss of 
temper is considered very bad taste on these occa- 
sions ; the only penalty allowed is kissing the seno- 
ritas if you can get at them in their houses ; but as 
they take care to barricade themselves in (and it is 
not etiquette to force an entrance), you don't stand 
much chance unless you happen to be a much- 
favoured individual. 

We were now at the beach, opposite the vessel, 

and found the boat waiting. D would not come 

on board, but said, as we were moving off, " Don't 
forget the tertulia — nine, sharp ! " 

I mentioned, when I arrived on board, about the 
soldier saluting me, and asked if any of the officers 
had noticed men like English sailors in Argentine 
uniforms ; but they had not, although they thought 
it very probable there were numbers of them in the 
garrison, for several vessels on the station had lost 
men by desertion — ourselves included. I thought I 
would go and look at that regiment again some 
day, and see if I could recognize any one I knew. 
Uniform and a shako alter a man's appearance so 
much that I did not at the time trace the slightest 
resemblance to any known face in the man who had 
looked up so hurriedly during the review. 

It was now time to think about Pepita's party. 
The regulations for evening dress are very liberal in 
South America. Even at Monte Yideo, which is 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 0/ 

in a high state of civilization compared with Cor- 
rientes, they don't wear the traditional black coat and 
white tie, except for large balls; and most likely 
now, in that costume, one would have been taken 
for a clergyman, and cut off prematurely from the 
society of the senoritas. However, it did not matter 
much, so I compromised the question with a sort of 

semi-evening get-up, and started off to join D , 

whom I found all ready. He had made no altera- 
tion in his dress except a thin pair of boots, " in case 
he had to dance," as he said. 

The house was a blaze of light as we arrived, and 
music had commenced. The veranda was tastefully 
decorated with leaves and coloured lanterns, and a 
small garden round the house, on the entrance side, 
also lighted up for a promenade. The patio looked 
extremely well ; a fountain was in the centre, with 
handsome flowers planted round, giving an air of 
freshness to the scene. The dancing-rooms were on 
three sides of the square, and opened into each other. 
Everybody appeared to be thoroughly engaged in 
amusing themselves. People were constantly arriv- 
ing, while others were going away to some other 
tertulia. 

I soon spied out the fair, or rather dark, Pepita 
(her beauty being of the true Spanish caste) ; her eyes 
appeared to be everywhere. She saw me in a moment, 
and made a motion with her fan. 

" Have you seen mamma ? Why are you dressed 
differently ? I like uniforms ! " 

I said nothing. I was wrapt in admiration. She 

f2 



68 LA PLATA, AIS'D 

was simply a pretty girl in her morning costume, 
but now in an evening dress, the colour of which — 
I forget what it was — ^heightened the effect of her 
brilliant complexion : splendid black hair, with a red 
camellia in it, I recollect perfectly: but the eyes ! — I 
believe I should have gazed into them all the evening, 
if she had not smiled, and, showing teeth like pearls, 
said, "They are going to waltz; shall I get you a 
partner?" 

I stammered out something about wishing to dance 
with no one but her — should consider it the happiest 
moment of my life. She stopped me by saying, 
*' Oh, no, I must look after the company ; mamma 
trusts to me entirely : but I will dance this one with 
you. Can you dance the Spanish valse ?" 

" With you, Pepita, I could dance anything ; but 
will you forgive my bad dancing, and also the 
blimders I make in talking Spanish ? You know 
I am a beginner." 

" Well, senor, I don't intend paying you any 
compliments. Shall we join the other people ? " 

The Spanish waltz is a most reasonable perform- 
ance. You don't dart about like mad people, knock- 
ing each other about, but glide round quietly, talking 
easily and comfortably all the time — much better 
than the breathless deux temps. I enjoyed our 
waltz much, and so did Pepita, I think; for after 
it was over we found so many things to talk 
about that it was necessary to stroll into the garden 
to prevent interruption. *' Pepita, what a terrible 
thing it is to reflect on ! " 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 69 

"What?" 

" Why, that as the world goes round, we must part." 

" Must you go rouud with it ? " 

I believe I was about to say, " No, dearest Pepita, 
I will stay here, and let it go round without me " at 
the same time clasping her, &c., &c., when up rushes 
a yillain of a servant. It appears that Madame has 
had a fit, or something of the sort, in consequence of 
the seiiorita's absence, that the Grovernor's wife has 
arrived, and there is no one to receive her. 

" Bother the Grovernor and his wife too ! " said I, 
but in English, so as not to shock Pepita. 

" Jome, seiior — you see I don't even know your 
name yet — come, we must go." 

I found D in the ball-room; he said, " Where 

in the world have you been ? I have been looking 
for you everywhere. The Grovernor is here, and 
so is the General. You will, I suppose, pay your 
respects to the Governor, and then we can look for 
the General afterwards." 

I had a long chat with the Governor, and happen- 
ing to mention I understood the General was in the 
room, he offered to introduce me. The General, I 
found, was a brigadier, and colonel of one of the 
regiments in garrison. He had "much honour in the 
knowledge of me" (the literal translation of a Spanish 
phrase sounds oddly in English). I told him I had 
seen his men march past, and had noticed a large 
number of them with light complexions. 

" Yes," he said, " many were Germans and 
English, officers and men. The adjutant of his 



70 LA PLATA, AND 

regiment was an Englishman, and a very smart 
fellow lie was. He knew nothing about his ante- 
cedents — such questions were not asked in these 
stormy times." 

"We adjourned now to supper — a light refresh- 
ment — and then the company began to break up to 
see the fireworks on the Plaza. I got away from tlie 
big people, after saying adieu, to look for the charm- 
ing Pepita. I found her in the ball-room, looking 
quite sad and dismal. Mamma had been scolding 
her, the Grovernor's lady had been severe in manner. 
Poor Pepita ! I persuaded her to j)U-t a thick shawl 
over her head and come out to see the fireworks, and 
she soon regained her spirits. I believe there was a 
grand pyrotechnic display, but I am sure the fire- 
works were not so brilliant as Pepita's eyes. It was 
a lovely night ; not a breath of air disturbed the calm 
serenity of the sky. It was warm — in fact, so much 
so, that the coquettish shawl Pepita wore over her 
head and face had to be removed several times, but 
was as carefully replaced. That evening and night 
passed ; the next morning — ah ! the next morning ! 

I was at D 's, having accepted his offer of a bed. 

We arranged, after I had been off to hear the news, 
and see everything in its place, to go for a ride, and 
then call on the Seiioritas Estevan ; but when I 
arrived on board I found a note had been re- 
ceived, stating that the two lads who deserted 
from us at Monte Yideo in October were now in 
the 3rd Eegiment of the Argentine army, and 
formed part of the present garrison of Corrientes. 



THE WAE IN PARAGUAY. i 1 

On inyestigating the case, I was told that the lads 
in question had been enticed away by the crimps at 
Monte Yideo, and it was firmly believed that they 
did not go of their own free wills, but had been 
drugged. I at once wrote to the colonel of the 
regiment, stating the case, and asking him to allow 
an officer, sent for the purpose, to identify them, 
I dispatched this letter by an officer and guard of 
marines, ready to escort the deserters down when 
they were given up. 

The colonel allowed the regiment to be paraded, 
and the men, or rather boys, were at once pointed 
out. But here the difficulty commenced. They were 
two smart-looking lads, and had cost the Argentine 
government five thousand paper dollars each. The 
colonel was satisfied they were deserters, but it was 
necessary to communicate with the authorities at 
head-quarters before giving them up : so they were 
put under arrest until the decision of the com- 
mander-in-chief was known. Circumlocution now 
supervened in its most extreme form ; letters passed 
and repassed without any meaning ; so, after some 
weeks had elapsed and nothing decisive had been done, 
I thought of Admiral Muratori, the Argentine naval 
commander-in-chief, and represented the case to him, 
asking him to interfere. This he very kindly did, 
and in about a month's time the lads were sent back, 
and very glad they were to leave the Argentine 
service ; of their large bounty of five thousand dollars 
they did not get one penny ! 



LA PLATA, AIsD 



CHAPTEE Y. 

ALARM CONCEBNING FIRE-SHIPS — THE LAW OF NEUTRALS — RIDING IN 

THE CAMPS VISIT TO THE ALLIED ENCAMPMENT — GENERAL 

YENANCIO FLORES — PREPARATIONS FOR CROSSING THE PASO DE 
LA PATRIA — A VISIT FROM CHACO INDIANS — INDIAN METHOD OF 
CROSSING ON HORSES THE PARANA — VISIT TO THE INDIAN CAMP 
— THE GAME OF TAPIA — JEALOUSY, AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. 

About this time the old alarm of fire-ships started 
up again ; the rumour had come from the Brazilian 
ships, but I did not attach much importance to it, as 
I knew, if the Commodore had received any reliable 
information, he would have let me know, and I also 
noticed that the fleet had not lit fires, or made any 
alteration in their daily routine. Still one could not 
help feeling the awkwardness of the situation ; for 
if the Paraguayans did come down some dark night, 
they would neither know nor care whether I was a 
neutral or belligerent. I should inevitably come to 
grief, if I could not get out of the way sharply : and 
this necessary quickness was the difficulty ; for in a 
gunboat it takes four hours to get steam ready. The 
masts and sails were absurdly small, and would have 
no more power over the vessel than they would if set on 
a breakwater. The tide was running at least three 
knots an hour, and the shore not far ofi* astern. What 
was to be done ? The most feasible idea which oc- 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 73 

curred to us was, on tlie approach of a fire-ship, to 
veer away to the clinch, bend a hawser on to the cable, 
and slip, continuing to yeer the hawser, steering the 
meanwhile so as to allow the fire-ship to drift past, 
the strong current enabling you to sheer about widely. 
Of course, while we should be doing our utmost to 
steer away from our unpleasant companion, our boats 
would not be idle, and possibly we might get steam 
ready in time to be of use. However, I am happy to 
say our skill was not put to the test, although, during 
the various fire-ship panics which cropped up from 
time to time, I confess we thought of them rather 
seriously. 

Amongst other possible eventualities which oc- 
curred to me during our stay at Corrientes, in com- 
pany with the Brazilian fleet, was, supposing Lopez, 
giving up all hope of being able to successfully resist 
the allies, and throwing up the fight in despair, should 
place himself under the protection of the English 
flag. The supposition had been often mentioned in 
my presence by persons on shore, merchants and 
others, who were firmly persuaded that Lopez had 
already sent most of his money out of the country, 
and intended himself following at the first convenient 
opportunity. But, knowing as I did how unlikely it 
was that such a case should happen so early in the war, 
I had treated the idea as a mere fancy ; however, from 
hearing the thing repeated over and over again, I at 
last found myself imagining what 1 should do were 
such a circumstance to occur. Supposing things were 
to alter at the front, and that Lopez came to grief and 



/4 LA PLATA, A^D 

asked permission to come on board, to be taken to the 
British Admiral at Monte Video. Of course, if it was 
a written request or a message I should decline 
having anything to do with the question at all, and 
refer the matter to head-quarters : but supposing a 
man suddenly came alongside and jumped on deck, 
with a carpet-bag in his hand, and exclaimed, " I 
am Lopez ! I am in danger of my life ; I claim the 
protection of the British flag — that flag so distin- 
guished for extending its powerful shelter to the 
weak alike of all nations," &c., &c. What was I to 
do ? — bundle him and his bag over the side again, 
give him up to his pursuers, most probably close at 
hand, or up steam and start away with him to Monte 
Video ? It was a puzzling question as to which was 
the right thing to do ; the instructions authorize you 
to extend the protection of the flag to persons in 
danger of their lives, but they also forbid you to 
interfere with belligerents as a neutral. 

The case did not occur, I am thankful to say ; for 
although I had made up my mind what I should do 
in the event of its happening, still I was not at all 
sure it would have turned out to be right. It was 
only towards the end of the war that the officers in 
command of the American ships received special in- 
structions which met the ease in point: they were 
told not to harbour him on any account. The whole 
subject of the law of neutrals is one that requires 
carefully working up. 

I received a note from a friend in town, earlj^ in 
February, informing me that the allied armies were 



THE WAR IX PAKAGUAY. /O 

now within an easy day's ride of Corrientes, and that, 
knowing I wanted to see them, he had ordered horses 
to be ready early the next morning, so that we could 
start directly after breakfast. Accordingly, the next 
morning saw us on a couple of smart ponies cantering 
across the open country south of the town ; we soon 
left the road, which gets gradually lost on the open 
grassy plains of the camp, and as soon as you leave 
the suburbs behind, all is a slightly-undulating sea of 
grass-land, quite unbroken, as far as the eye can 
reach, except by occasional ditches and furrows, which 
the ponies took easily without losing their stride. 
But there is an animal called the bizcacho, something 
of the guinea-pig tribe, which burrows in the earth, 
and makes an awkward hole for a horse to step into. 
The gauchos are so accustomed to their horses slipping 
into them, that they simply disengage their toe from 
the stirrup, and alight on their feet, over the horse^s 
head, holding the reins ready to mount again as soon 
the animal recovers his footing. We were not up to 
this feat of horsemanship, and shortly after came to 
grief ; for as we were galloping along in the highest 
spirits, enjoying the clear cool atmosphere, I suddenly 
heard a loud, " Oh !" from my companion, and, on 
looking round, found him clinging to his horse's neck^ 
while the animal was plunging violently in its efforts 
to disengage its fore feet from a bizcacho hole into 
which it had fallen. I at once turned and galloped 
back, but the same plunge that extricated the horse 
had unshipped the rider, who was now seated on the 
ground, looking ruefully at his horse, careering over 



76 LA PLATA, AXD 

the plain. I immediately gave chase, and had no diffi- 
culty whatever in getting within a few yards of the 
animal, who was now quietly grazing as if nothing 
had happened. I was just going through the pre- 
liminary " poor- fello wing ^' prior to securing his 
head, when off the beast went, heels in the air, 
causing my horse to start off at full speed in the 
opposite direction, before I could pull him round. 

I soon saw that I had about as much chance of 
catching the runaway horse as I had the moon, so 
spying a rancho in the distance, I rode over and 
asked one of the men to bring his lasso out. He asked, 
" What do you want it for ?" so I explained that we 
had lost a horse and could not get on with our jour- 
ney, adding, that if he would come and lasso him for 
us we should be obliged. 

"Never mind the lasso !" he said. ''I'll get him 
without that ; the lasso would spoil him for riding the 
remainder of the day. Lend me your horse." 

I jumped off, and he mounted and galloped off ; 
the other horse pricked up his ears, when he saw 
him coming, and made a dash off in the opposite 
direction ; but the mounted horse soon headed him, 
and after two or three starts on the flank which were 
easily tui'ned, the runaway was safely driven into the 
corral, when he quietly acquiesced in having his 
saddle and gear put to rights; then, after thank- 
ing the gaucho, who declined taking money, but 
did not object to cigars, we started off again. Both 
of us now looked out sharply for the bizcacho holes, 
and managed to keep clear of them for the remainder 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 77 

of our journey. A ride of twelve miles brought us in 
sight of the allied encampment. The tents and huts 
extended over an enormous distance, giving one the 
idea of a much larger army than was actually 
present ; the object of extending the camp so much 
was, we found afterwards, in order to give the 
men as much air as possible, the weather being 
intensely hot and the troops sickly. 

A couple of miles further brought us up to the ex- 
treme right of the allied camp. The troops present, 
including the garrison of Corrientes, who had orders 
to join, immediately the forward movement com- 
menced, consisted of 20,000 Brazilians, 8,000 Ar- 
gentines, and 2,000 Orientals ; under the command- 
in-cliief of Greneral Mitre, with Marshal Osorio, and 
Grenerals Flores and Grelly-Obes under him. The 
third corps of the Brazilian army, under Baron Port 
Alegre, was on the Brazilian frontier, and intended 
to advance on Paraguay by the pass of Itapua ; but 
his force, 10,000 strong, were composed of new levies, 
and would require some time to complete their or- 
ganization. The first troops we came to were the 
Orientals, whose camp was on the extreme right ; the 
men were principally Spanish Basques, fine-looking 
fellows, and appeared ready for anything. They were 
busy putting up huts, as a shelter from the fierce 
sun, now pouring down a most intense heat. Some 
of the troops had been supplied with tents of 
the French tente d''abri fashion ; but many were 
taking advantage of the trees in the neighbourhood 
to form a bivouac. 



/O LA PLATA, AND 

Wliile we were riding tlirough this part of the 
camp, and talking to some of the Monte Yidean 
officers, a group of horsemen came up at full speed 
and passed us, two a short distance in front, talking 
vehemently together. Seeing the officers and men 
near us salute, we did the same, which one of the 
foremost of the party returned with a wave of the 
hand. He was mounted on a handsome grey 
charger, and dressed in poncho, sombrero, and long 
riding-boots. The escort (a squadron of lancers) , as 
well as the two horsemen in front, were all going at 
full speed, and passed us with a great clatter. We 
asked who it was ; the officers near said : " That is 
our general. President Flores. He is always dashing 
about like that, and tires out two or three escorts 
a day. That was Colonel Palleja he was talking 
to; they are going down to the Paso de la 
Patria." 

General Yenancio Plores, then the President of 
Banda Oriental, was at this time about fifty-five 
years of age. His appearance was most striking. 
Of middle height, rather thin and wiry, he was just 
the build for a horseman ; piercing black eyes, and 
long black hair and moustache, while his whiskers 
and beard were quite white, adding much to the 
effect of his prominent features. His character was 
kind and generous ; even his political enemies, in a 
country where party faction runs so high, generally 
spoke well of him, while his own personal adherents 
had the greatest admiration for his frank and simple 
disposition. He had forced his way up from being 



THE WAR IX PARAGUAY. 79 

a simple gaucho, with no influence beyond his own 
native energy, to the post of President of Uruguay. 
In his early career he had been noticed for his skill 
and determination in putting down a band of rob- 
bers, who had long resisted the government of the 
day with success ; but Flores speedily hunted them 
out and brought them to justice. He afterwards 
held commands in the various revolutionary wars, 
taking the CoUorado side, until at last, being favoured 
"vvith the influence and assistance of Brazil, he at- 
tained the chief post of the Eepublic. His sad end 
came last year (1868). He was barbarously mui- 
dered in his carriage, at the door of the House of 
Assembly, by an organised band of ruffians, belong- 
ing to the opposite faction. This brutal act, which 
was committed with the object of upsetting the 
government, did not succeed in accomplishing the 
desired end, for the most bloody reprisals were taken 
on the conspirators and their friends. Flores was 
considered the most dashing cavalry officer of his 
country ; his powers of endurance on horseback were 
surprising, riding journeys of astonishing length. 
And before the allied armies crossed into Paraguay, 
he administered the government at Monte Yideo, 
and looked after his troops in camp with untiring 
energy, having relays of horses placed so as to allow 
of his moving backwards and forwards at full speed. 
After the troops invaded Paraguay, his Orientals 
took the lead in all the various battles, until from 2,500 
they were reduced to 200 ; when, on the men being 
drafted into the Argentine corps, he withdrew to 



80 LA PLATA, AND 

Monte Video, where, as we have seen, he was bar- 
barously murdered. He has left two sons and a 
daughter (besides his widow). The sons do not, 
unfortunately, inherit their father's good qualities ; 
the eldest, who was a colonel in the army, bears a 
most unenviable notoriety, while the younger shows 
evident signs of following in his brother's footsteps. 
However, at the time we saw Greneral Flores, he was 
full of fire and animation, as he galloped past on his 
way to the front. 

The Monte Videan officers were, like everybody 
else, anxious to get on. They saw they were as 
strong now as they were ever likely to be ; but the 
Brazilians could not be got to move ; what with the 
heat and cholera they were in a miserable state. We 
rode on to the Argentine camp, but found most of 
their men were on detached service (garrison at 
Corrientes, &c.), but the Buenos Ayrean guards, 
under G-eneral Conesa, were in camp, and looked a 
smart, clean body of men. One noticed the clean- 
liness particularly, as contrasting with the next body 
of troops we came to, which was a regiment of 
Brazilian infantry, 600 strong. The men were ne- 
groes, and certainly appeared in poor condition. The 
officers (who were, of course, white) told us their men 
found great difficulty in marching, not being ac- 
customed to wear boots ; in fact, they did not wear 
them, and, in consequence, a long march knocked 
them up, particularly when they could not wait to 
pick the road. The officers had revolvers, and the 
inevitable opera-glass, and said they expected to get 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 81 

Spencer rifles for tlie men soon, their present arms 
being smooth-bores. 

We particularly wanted to see the artillery, so 
asked where their camp was. They pointed to a 
farmhouse some short distance to the left rear, and 
said there was one park stationed at that point, and 
another further on the left, near the cavalry camp. 
We now left the Orientals, wishing them good luck in 
the coming campaign, and rode down to the artillery. 
The guns had only lately halted from the march, 
and were covered in mud. We counted six batteries, 
two of which were Whitworth's nine-pounders, the 
others were twelves; the majority of the teams 
appeared to be mules, but some batteries had horses, 
small and out of condition. We were told that 
mules did much better than horses, being more ac- 
customed to drag weights. Most of the heavy 
carrying work in South America is done by either 
oxen or mules. The gun- and limber- carriages 
were of the old pattern — small wheels and tires 
— awkward things to manage in the swamps of 
Paraguay. In front of the artillery there was a 
regiment of cacedores encamped; they were under 
canvas, and altogether much superior to the other 
troops we had seen in the Brazilian lines. Most 
of the men were white, or mulattoes ; they were 
armed with rifles, and, we imderstood, mustered 500 
strong. Arms and accoutrements were being bur- 
nished up, ready, they told us, for a reconnoissance 
they were ordered for in the morning. The generals 
were going up the river in a fast steamer, and some 

G 



82 LA PLATA, AND 

troops with artillery were to advance in the direction 
of the coast, in case they might be wanted. We 
continued our ride to the left, and a short distance 
on came to the cavalry camp ; the division was about 
3,000 strong, with horses of all sizes and colours. 
The difficulty of getting forage was considerable, 
for the dry summer had withered the grass up ; 
consequently the animals did not look in condition 
to execute a very vigorous charge. Their general 
(Nevas) was considered to be a very dashing officer ; 
and the men were well armed with lance and carbine. 
They expected strong reinforcements of horses when 
Baron Port Alegre came up with the third corps. 

Further on to the left was another artillery park 
and camp, while behind came the commissariat, 
quartered in the buildings of a neighbouring estancia, 
the corrals serving to put the baggage-animals in. 

The whole camp was now alive with the men pre- 
paring their afternoon meal ; several of the tents were 
provided with portable cooking apparatus, and asados, 
tea, coffee, and mate were all in process of being 
cooked as we rode along. We found the headquarters 
had gone into Corrientes ; so, after thanking our 
Monte Yidean friends for looking after us, and 
promising to send them a hamper of eatables from 
town, we turned homewards. On our ride back we 
met numbers of officers returning to camp with forage 
— hams, sardines, cheese, tins of biscuits, all sorts of 
things in the way of food, besides scarves for the 
waist and head, which appeared to be in great request. 
On arriving in town, we soon saw unmistakable signs 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 83 

of the vicinity of a camp : drunken soldiers and camp- 
followers were rolling about in all directions ; the 
cafe was full of them. No table d^hote possible that 
evening ; so I took D off with me to dine. 

The army remained encamped in a position near 
Corrientes for some time ; in fact, they only shifted 
now, as it became necessary from a sanitary point of 
view. The preparations were not yet complete for 
crossing the river : boats had to be prepared, more 
Whitworths were coming up, besides ammunition, so 
it did not much matter what part of the neighbour- 
hood they were in. Beconnoissances were now 
frequently made, the generals going up in a dispatch 
steamer as far as the bend of the river near Tres 
Bocas. It was ascertained that Lopez was preparing 
strong fortifications at Itapiru, and evidently expected 
the allies at Paso de la Patria. 

The headquarters of the Paraguayan Greneral 
could be plainly seen, with colours flying in front, 
and, from the occasional salutes which were heard, it 
was considered pretty certain that Lopez himself was 
there in person ready to contest the passage. None of 
the Paraguayan ships could be seen, although, from 
the considerable quantity of smoke visible over the 
trees, it was clear that they were ready for a swoop 
should the reconnoissance come within range. The 
Brazilian commodore always took the precaution o£. 
having several ships under weigh to accompany the 
dispatch vessel at a convenient distance, without 
making any demonstration, ready to throw themselves 
between her and any enemy who might show. The 

G 2 



84 LA PLATA, AND 

preparations for crossing the river were puslied for- 
ward with great vigour. All along the shore in the 
vicinity of Corrientes carpenters were busily engaged 
preparing rafts and barges ; transports arrived daily 
with troops and guns, while stores of all descriptions 
were streaming into the place from the river. Every 
one was engaged in landing them : men, women, and 
children could be seen passing boxes along from the 
vessels unloading to the storehouses, and everything 
looked as if an immediate advance were contemplated. 

One afternoon I was writing in the cabin, when I 
w^as told by the quartermaster of the watch that a 
large pirague, full of Indians, was paddling down on 
our bow. One scarcely knew what might happen in 
such excitable times ; the signalman said he could not 
see any arms : but there they were, as I saw, on 
coming on deck — a large canoe, with at least thirty or 
forty Indians, standing up, and making dii^ectly for 
our bow, and by no means a respectable-looking body 
of men. 

I had heard there were a number of Chaco Indians 
in the place, supposed to be in favour of Lopez, and 
thought it within the bounds of possibility that these 
individuals might have some idea of appropriating 
the gunboat, seeing her at anchor by herself ; so I 
ordered a part of the watch to get their arms. The 
Indians came down before a three-knot current, and 
were making arrangements for getting over the bows. 
As soon as they were within hail, we told them to 
keep off. This had the effect of making them stop 
paddling ; but the strong tide swept them down 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 85 

rapidly, and brought tliem violently in contact with 
our swinging boom, which, being placed rather low, 
caught the standing-up warriors on the head and 
toppled them over into the bottom of the canoe. We 
soon saw they were on a friendly errand, so some of 
our men jumped out with a rope and made them fast 
alongside. 

The chief, at last, extricating himself from his 
prostrate followers, stood up, and, adjusting his 
costume of coloured shirt and scarf, with skin leg- 
gings and sandals, over which, I suppose in honour 
of the visit, he had a black coat, and hat, explained 
that he and the principal families of his tribe desired 
the honour of being allowed to pay their respects to 
the officers and crew of Her Britannic Majesty's 
gunboat. So, after sending for the gunner's mate, 
and desiring him to lock up all small and tempting 
articles, and keep a sharp eye on the Armstrong-gun 
gear, and the Colt's revolvers, I let them in ; when, 
the ceremony of introduction having been performed 
(the half-naked Indians bowing and speaking a few 
words in their own language with considerable grace), 
I sent some men to show them round, and , ordered 
the steward to give them something to eat. The 
chief, being a " swell," remained with me, talking for 
some time, but at last, seeing eating and drinking 
going on forward, he walked off in a great hurry to 
join. Finding they were all being well taken care of, 
I went away. 

These Indians, who are comfortable and happy in 
their own forests of the Gran Chaco, from various 



86 LA PLATA, AND 

causes get attracted to tlie large towns on their 
frontiers ; here they degenerate into thieves and 
di^unkards. They profess to trade in furs, and some 
panther-skins I saw were very handsome : the 
animals had been trapped, so were not injured by 
bullet-holes : but their principal occupation is col- 
lecting meat at the saladeros, which they dry and 
carry off with them, returning when the supply is 
finished for more. They also get a little money by 
selling Indian ornaments, forage for cattle, and other 
trifles. By these means, and thieving — for they look 
on thieving as an orthodox mode of earning a living — 
they often collect enough to buy a horse and saddle, 
a gun, or other object of Indian ambition. 

Their mode of taking horses across the Parana is 
pecuhar. The river is about two miles broad, and the 
current runs from three to four miles an houi^ ; so it 
is no easy task to swim an animal over, and their 
canoes are not adapted for carrjong them on board. 
They first drive the horse into the river up to his 
shoulders in water, then back the canoe in, get hold 
of the animal's head and lash it well up on top of the 
gunwale. The horse plunges and kicks, but his feet 
are off the ground in a moment, so he cannot do any 
damage, and soon settles down into a steady swim. 
They generally take two over at a time, one on each 
side. At first sight it would appear as if there were 
danger of the bottom of the canoe being kicked 
out ; but they never venture into shallow water with 
horses secured in this manner. The passage across 
occupies a considerable time, and requires great 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 87 

exertion ; but there is a long sand-bank opposite 
Corrientes, little more tlian half-way, which gives 
them an opportunity of resting. 

The Indians stayed some time, and were much 
pleased with their visit. They had plenty to eat, 
and as it was about supper-time the men gave them 
some tea, which they pronounced to be superior to 
their mate. They seemed anxious to take something 
on shore to their wives and children, so the men gave 
them any scraps of meat left ; after which they wanted 
some specimens of English old clothing, but were 
told it was against orders for the men to give their 
clothes away. On leaving (when they all bowed and 
saluted with the utmost gravity of manner), the chief 
invited us to come and see them in their camp, which 
was pitched about a mile down the river, near the 
beach. We thanked them and accepted the invitation, 
promising to come the next forenoon. They then 
went off, the huge clumsy pirague frequently getting 
broadside on to the current contrary to the efforts of 
the man steering. It is a marvel how they ever get 
up the river at all against such a tide. I have 
often watched them trying to get round Custom- 
house point, where there is no chance of an eddy, 
paddling away for an hour at least, and then having 
to give it up and track the boat round. 

The next day we pulled down the river to the 
camp. Two chiefs were fishing as we arrived, but 
stood up and saluted us as we landed. They could 
not speak Spanish, and we could not speak Gruarani 
(their language), so we walked up towards the 



00 LA PLATA, AND 

Tvigwams ; here our tail-coat friend soon saw ns, 
and came down. He was delighted, and cordially 
held out his hand. Several other chiefs now joined 
us, and united in offering their welcome, after which 
we walked on towards the camp. 

Here we were met by the women and children, the 
latter all stark naked, well-built little things. The 
young women were good-looking, hut their features 
were almost hidden by the masses of black hair which 
covered their head and shoulders like a mane ; they 
were dressed in a short skirt with scarf over their 
shoulders, and metal ornaments on their fingers and 
round the neck. 

The old women were terrible to behold : the witches 
in "Macbeth" would be pleasing in comparison. One 
old lady was hanging some strips of beef on a hne to 
dry in the sun. She had a nose like the beak of a 
parrot, and was altogether so singular in appearance, 
as to be not unlike a brown crow. The wretched 
. women are brought to this state by having to do such 
extremely hard work. Directly they have weaned 
their children, they commence to perform all the 
drudgery of the camp, and paddle the canoes, while 
the men and young women sit and look on. 

The young women, after they had satisfied their 
curiosity by looking at us, retired to their huts, the 
old ones going on with their various employments 
without noticing us. We continued our walk 
through the rows of hovels, for they scarcely deserve 
a better name, until we came to the one belonging 
to the chief. Here we looked in, and saw three 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 89 

women and two infants. We did not go further 
than the entrance, but saluting the ladies, who were 
the family of the chief, passed on. 

Hearing a slapping kind of noise near, I asked 
what it was, and was told some of the young men 
were playing tapia. We went to look at them. Six 
were sitting in a circle, playing a game, one holding 
up a certain number of fingers, and the others gues- 
guessing quickly ; after each guess they struck the 
right shoulder with the left hand, which, as they 
were naked from the waist upwards, caused the 
slapping noise. They were wonderfully grave and 
quiet over their game ; all we could hear was an 
occasional grunt. They were fine-looking young 
fellows, with hair astonishingly thick on their heads, 
a capital protection from the hot sun. 

The chief told me they should stay here some 
time, as on the other side of the river Lopez' agents 
were getting hold of the Indians for soldiers, and he 
and his young men did not want to fight ; he said 
nearly all the Indians on the frontiers of Paraguay 
had been pressed into the service. We took leave of 
our Indian friends, and went down to the boat, which 
had been waiting. From here I started off on foot 
for a sandy cove about two miles ofi", to bathe ; the 
others went on board, and I told them to send the 
boat down for me afterwards. 

I had often bathed in this cove. The sand was 
coarse and clean, pleasant to walk on, and some trees 
near afforded shade to dress under ; it was also retired 
and some distance from houses. I had finished my 



90 LA PLATA, AND 

swim, and was leisurely dressing, when I heard two 
voices near talking sharply. I did not take much 
notice at first, heyond dressing a little quicker, when 
all of a sudden a woman began to scream, and two 
men could be heard struggling and cursing with deep 
voices. I at once dashed off to the scene of action, 
and on turning a point of land, a girl came running 
towards me, crying, " He'll murder him ; he'll murder 
him !" I saw at once one man on the ground and 
another stabbing at him with a knife. I shouted 
as I came up, but he did not wait, for, giving his 
adversary a gash across the face, he stood up looking 
at him, grinding out, "Ladrone " between his teeth, 
and, making a kick at him, said " Camino ;" but I 
now stopped him, and asked what he meant by 
trying to murder the man. He said the villain had 
followed the girl down to the well where she had 
come for water, and had tried to insult her, and he, 
happening fortunately to hear her voice, came down 
to the rescue. '' The animal ! " he had known the 
girl was his novia, and was always running after 
her, but now he had settled him he hoped. The 
man on the ground was groaning piteously; he 
was cut severely about the face and shoulders, and 
had a nasty stab in the neck, but the girl assisted me 
to wash the wounds, and bind them up tem]oorarily 
as well as we could. 

I told the man to go up to the village for a hurdle 
or something to carry the disabled adversary on ; but 
no, he began to curse the poor wretch again, and 
said he might die where he lay for all he cared. This 



THE WAR IX PARAGUAY. 91 

rather irritated me, after all the trouble I had taken 
to stop the fight ; so I informed my friend that, as it 
was, I intended to let the town authorities know of 
the affair, hut if he did not immediately assist to get 
the wounded man carried where he could get his 
hurts looked to, I should make a prisoner of him, and 
take him up to town in my boat, which I pointed 
out, then pulling down towards the beach. He 
now sullenly did as I wanted. So, picking the poor 
fellow up between us, we placed him on the bank ; 
the girl in the meantime had run off to the village, 
and now came back with several people, who assisted 
to carry the man up to a house. I went up with 
them, and saw him put to bed, and then left him in 
the hands of some of his own family, who seemed to 
treat the matter very lightly. " Poor Carlos," said 
one, " I thought he would get this." 

The knives these country people carry are most 
formidable weapons, with a blade four inches long, 
opening with a spring, which catches and keeps the 
blade firm. They are in constant use, from eating a 
meal to settling a c[uarrel. 

I wrote a note to the Chief of Police at Corrientes, 
explaining the circumstances of the fight at the well ; 
but I never heard the end of it, as we left for Monte 
Yideo shortly afterwards. 



92 LA PLATA, AND 



CHAPTEE YI. 

VISIT TO THE PASO DE LA PATRIA — HISTORY OF PARAOrAY — DR. 

FRANCIA FRANCISCO SOLANO LOPEZ — THE RIVER PARAGrAY 

HISTORY OF THE "WAR — GENERAL MDRATORI. 

I HAD an opportunity about tliis time of seeing the 
country in the neighbourhood of Paso de la Patria. 
A detachment of Argentine cavalry was going down 
in that direction, and I obtained permission to accom- 
pany it. The Argentine camp was considerably 
nearer the Paso than the rest of the army, but this 
party was going still further, to reconnoitre, and 
also to bring in some cattle; so I was glad to take 
advantage of the circumstance to ride down and see 
the place, and, if possible, get a closer view of Para- 
guay than I had hitherto been able to do. "We 
started early in the morning, and I attached myself 
to a squadron of Corrientino cavalry, about thirty 
strong. The men had been lately recruited from the 
various estancias in the province, and were now 
dressed in the gaucho style. The officer in com- 
mand had been a gentleman-farmer, and intended 
leaving the army when the war was over, he told me. 
The whole detachment were tall, strapping fellows, 
well armed with carbine, sabre, and lasso. They had 
a most supreme contempt for the Paraguayans, which 
rather surprised me, for the Brazilians that I had 
heard speak on the subject seemed to rather have a 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 93 

respect for their pluck. I mentioned this to the 
officer, who merely said, "Oh, the Brazilians ! " as if 
he scarcely considered them anybody. " Why, one 
of my men would go out and lasso a Paraguayan in 
his own camp and bring him off, and think nothing 
of it. The other day, when they were here burning 
and robbing — the blackguards ! — our fellows used to 
go out at night and lasso them by the dozen. A girl 
won't speak to a Corrientino young man now until 
he has brought in two or three Paraguayans. There 
is scarcely a man in my regiment who has not had 
some member of his family murdered or outraged hj 
the brutes ; so the bitter feeling against them is 
scarcely to be wondered at." 

After a ride of ten or twelve miles through a fine 
open country (splendid grass-land, with occasional 
woods in the valleys, but all looking neglected, and 
the farmhouses in ruins), away towards the Parana 
I saw the Paso de la Patria, with the Paraguayan 
lines beyond, across the river, the Greneral's house 
being conspicuously placed on the hill, with a flagstaff 
by the side. Some smoke was curling up over the 
trees on the banks, showing the position of the 
steamers, but we were too far inland to distinguish 
small objects. 

The land in the vicinity of Paso de la Patria is 
slightly elevated above the level of the river, and the 
beach is firm and hard, while on either side is dense 
jungle and swamp. On the opposite side of the 
stream is the Paraguay aji Custom-house station, 
and on the heights above are the fortifications of 



94 LA PLATA, AND 

Itapiru. This point is where the road to Asuncion 
commences, passing through the different towns and 
villages on the banks of the Paraguay, on its way up 
the country. The appearance of the land on the 
Paraguayan side of the river is nearly similar to that 
on the Corrientes bank, merely a clear hard spot at 
the Paso de la Patria, and jungle all round. The 
creeks are very numerous, affording good shelter to 
the Paraguayan chatas and small steamers. 

On looking across the river into Paraguay, one 
could not avoid thinking of its strange history, which 
has just now for a moment been forced on the atten- 
tion of the world. Its vast collection of military 
stores, its numerous and strongly fortified positions, 
the whole available male population under arms : 
the whole wealth of a country 73,000 square miles 
in extent applied by the concentrated energy of one 
man to the formation of an acknowledged aggressive 
power, forms a picture well calculated to arrest the 
attention. This formidable combination, organized 
with the avowed aim of an increase of territory at 
the expense of Brazil, has been tried in the field 
with the result we have lately witnessed. Paraguay 
has made her effort, and has been crushed. 

The early records of this singular country read 
more like a fiction than the every-day story of 
national progress. It was discovered, in 1528, by a 
Spanish exploring party under Sebastian Cabot, 
shortly after his visit to the La Plata provinces. 
Cabot was murdered by tjie Indians near Colonia, a 
town situated opposite the present city of Buenos 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 95 

Ayres ; but the Spainards increased in numbers, and 
by 1537 were firmly established in various parts of 
the country. Paraguay was early discovered to be 
fertile, and was moreover supposed to be within reach 
of the new Spanish possessions in Peru. These 
reasons, amongst others, caused it to be selected as 
the seat of government for the whole of the settle- 
ments in that part of the continent of America. 
Francisco Yerla was elected Captain- Greneral, and 
Asuncion was chosen as the capital. Before this was 
satisfactorily accomplished, there had been some 
severe fighting with the natives, who were then, as 
they are now, celebrated for their courage. But in 
1538 they gave in their allegiance to the Spanish 
crown, and became friendly to the settlers. Yerla's 
election having been approved by the home govern- 
ment, he and other military governors continued to 
administer affairs, until the Jesuits came into power. 
These soon obtained permission to send out men of 
their own selection, and, adopting a totally different 
policy to that of the late administration, stopped all 
little frontier wars that had been going on from 
time to time, and were soon much liked by the 
natives for their mildness and care in the manage- 
ment of the country. 

Their insinuating mode of government is well de- 
scribed by Azara. Knowing there were savage Gua- 
ranis on the banks of the Tarminia, they sent some 
small presents by two Indians speaking the language, 
and who had been chosen in their oldest communities. 
They repeated their embassies at different times, the 



96 LA PLATA, AXD 

messengers always stating tliat they were sent by a 
Jesuit who loved them tenderly, who desired to come 
and live in their midst, and procure for them other 
objects of greater value, including herds of cows, in 
order that they might have food to eat without ex- 
posing themselves to fatigue. The Indians accepted 
their offers, and a Jesuit started with what he had 
promised, accompanied by a considerable number of 
Indians selected from amongst those of their early 
possessions. These Indians remained with the Jesuit, 
as thej were needed to build a house for the cm-ate, 
and attend to the cows. These latter were soon 
destroyed, for the Indians only thought of eating 
them. The savages asked for more cows, and they 
w^ere brought by additional Indians chosen like the 
first, and the whole of them remained on the spot 
under the pretext of building a church and cultivat- 
ing maize, and yucca root, for the rest to eat. Thus 
food, the affability of the priest, the good conduct 
of the Indians who had brought the cattle, festivals, 
music, the absence of every appearance of subjection, 
soon attracted to the settlement all the savage Indians 
of the neighbourhood. When the priest saw that 
his selected Indians greatly exceeded the savages in 
number, he caused the latter to be surrounded on a 
certain day, and mildly told them in a few words 
that it was not just their brethren should work for 
them, that it was necessary therefore that they should 
cultivate the earth, and learn trades, and that the 
women should spin. A few appeared dissatisfied, 
but they perceived the superiority of the Indians of 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 97 

the curate, and as the latter was careful to caress 
some, and to punish others with moderation, while 
exercising a surveillance over all for a time, the 
mission of St. Joachim was at length entirely and 
successfully formed. 

Two Jesuits were placed in each mission ; the one 
called the curate had been a provincial or rector in 
their colleges, or was at least a grave father ; but he 
exercised no pastoral functions. He was solely oc- 
cupied with the temporal administration of all the 
property of the community, of which he was the 
absolute director. The spiritual charge was confided 
to the other Jesuit, who was called vice-curate, and 
who was subordinate to the other. The Jesuits of 
all the missions were under the orders of another 
known as the Superior, who was empowered by the 
Pope to confirm. A curious document is extant, 
which shows how strong the feeling of affection for 
the Jesuits was at this time. In 1767, when they 
were expelled from power, the natives of Paraguay 
presented a memorial to the Spanish government, 
praying that the Superior and his council might be 
allowed to remain, as they were universally beloved 
in the country. There can be no doubt that, but for 
their narrow and unenlightened policy of repression, 
the rule of the Jesuits would have proved most bene- 
ficial to the country ; but they shut it up, and pre- 
vented trade, or any comparison with the outer world, 
and so denied the people that important stimulant, 
competition. 

From the downfall of the Jesuits until 1810, mili- 

H 



98 LA PLATA, AXD 

tary governors administered affairs, but a strong 
revolutionary feeling had been gradually springing 
up, which in the winter of 1810 resulted in an en- 
gagement between the Eoyal troops, under the 
Viceroy in person, and the insurgents, in which the 
latter were completely victorious. On this Paraguay 
boldly threw off all allegiance to Spain, and established 
a republic. The other states were scarcely prepared 
to follow this decisive move, and did not declare their 
independence until 1816. In the meantime, the 
Paraguayans elected a provisional government, of 
which the afterwards notorious Dr. Francia was the 
secretary. Francia, who soon after became dictator, 
had been educated for a lawyer, and on coming out 
to Paraguay had assumed a stern ascetic manner, 
which struck the simple-minded natives with awe. He 
had been employed by the royal government in various 
subordinate offices, until, joining the revolutionary 
party, he became secretary on their gaining power. 

In 1816, the La Plata provinces severed all con- 
nexion with Spain, and formed a confederacy. This 
Paraguay was invited to join, but the government 
of that country, instigated by Francia, refused, and 
altered their own form of administration to two 
supreme rulers. The documents and regulations 
connected with this change were drawn up by 
Francia himself, who was invited to become one of the 
two chiefs. This post was accepted, and the colleague 
soon put aside. He, Francia, now so worked every- 
thing into his own hands, that no other person had 
either sufficient wits or inclination to join in the 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 99 

labour ; and shortly after, by the wish of the nation, 
be assumed the sole direction of affairs, with the title 
of dictator. A perfect reign of terror was now es- 
tablished ; all intercourse with foreign nations was 
effectually stopped, by making it punishable with 
death to his own subjects, and imprisonment to 
strangers. This latter penalty was shortly after- 
wards experienced by two distinguished savans^ who, 
trusting to the general consideration shown to the 
pursuit of science, ventured into the country without 
permission, and were speedily arrested, and kept in 
confinement for some years. 

Francia, however, was not altogether blind to the 
advantages of trade ; for occasionally an officer of his 
own staff was sent across to Oorrientes with an order 
for an assortment of goods. This would be eagerly 
accepted by the merchants, who were glad to get the 
celebrated Paraguayan yerba (in which their goods 
would be paid for) at any price, such was the estima- 
tion in which it was held. When the goods were 
collected, they would be sent across to the entrance 
of the river Paraguay, and there received and paid 
for by Francia's own personal agent, no communi- 
cation being allowed with the shore on the part of the 
strangers. 

The goods would be then taken up to Asuncion, 
and stored in Francia' s private warehouses, to be 
retailed, when it so pleased him, at his own price. It 
is related that, during this regime, an enterprising 
Englishman, running all risk, landed a cargo of 
tobacco in Paraguay without asking permission 

H 2 



100 LA PLATA, AND 

(knowing well it would be refused). Francia not 
only seized his cargo and ship, but imprisoned the 
man himself. Here he remained for a considerable 
time, until at last having made friends with some of 
the officials, he was released on open arrest ; finding 
now that he was a ruined man with no prospect of 
escaping from the country, he asked leave to be 
allowed to cultivate a yerba field. This was permitted 
by Francia, and some slight assistance was afi'orded 
him in consideration of his tobacco. Being an ener- 
getic fellow, he set to work, and in three years he 
not only had raised enough yerba to cover the ex- 
penses of his cargo, but had also sufficient to pay 
Francia a fine or bribe to let him leave the country. 
During Francia' s reign there were some few 
Spanish residents remaining in the country ; these 
were the constant objects of his suspicion and dis- 
trust, and while their lives lasted were the victims 
of the most cruel treatment. One of his decrees 
announces that, " seeing it becomes more and more 
urgent to anticipate the efi'ects of the pernicious in- 
fluences, foolish oppression, and unjust suggestions 
of the Spaniards of Europe, and in order to consoli- 
date the public tranquillity and general security, I 
order the said Spaniards who are now in Paraguay to 
assemble in the Plaza at Asuncion, within two hours 
after the promulgation of this decree ; a delay of six 
hours will be given to persons at a distance of a league ; 
in default they shall be immediately shot." When 
these unfortunates had been mustered, with their 
families, in the public square, they were seized and 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 101 

hurried off to prison, where they were kept for eigh- 
teen months, and only released on paying a fine of 
150,000 piastres. 

Francia ruled for thirty years, and on his death 
Carlos Antonio Lopez (father of the present General 
Francisco Lopez) was elected president. On assum- 
ing the reins of government, he at once commenced 
the enormous mihtary preparations which have lately 
proved to be so much out of proportion to the actual 
resources of the country. He it was who laid the 
foundations of Humaita, and the other large works 
on the river Paraguay. 

His eldest son (Francisco Solano Lopez) was born 
in 1827 ; and after having been educated in France, 
where he studied the Ecole Poly technique course, he 
accompanied the allied armies to the Crimea during 
the Eussian War in 1854 and '55. On his father's 
death, in 1862, he was immediately proclaimed Pre- 
sident of the Eepublic by the unanimous voice of 
the people. His personal appearance is variously 
described as being short, fat, and bloated, or of 
middle height, and slightly inclined to embonpoint ; 
his character also varies, according to the bias of the 
writer, from a man of marked talent and energy 
to a sensual and ferocious savage. He has a thick 
nose and lips, small eyes, and black hair and 
moustache. During his tour in Europe he met the 
celebrated Mrs. Lynch, whose name has received a 
newspaper notoriety from the attachment she has 
shown to Lopez during his troubles. This lady 
either fascinated or was fascinated by Lopez, and 



102 LA PLATA, AND 

accompanied him on his return to Paraguay from 
Paris She is said to be of Irish parentage, and be- 
tween thirty and forty years of age ; short and fair, 
with a very quick intelligent expression. She has 
followed Lopez and his misfortunes faithfully through 
the late bloody war, and is said to possess his entire 
confidence ; her skill as a letter- writer enabling her 
to assist him materially in his correspondence and 
other matters which require an exercise of that 
talent. She is also disposed to be kind to the 
wretched prisoners who are thrown in the way of 
Lopez, and has assisted several persons to leave the 
country who were in danger of their lives, a service 
of great peril, for the very hint was generally suffi- 
cient to cause the suspected runaway to be thrown 
into prison, there to be charged with treason, and 
punished accordingly. 

Lopez has several children, and his eldest son by 
Mrs. Lynch was to have succeeded to the government 
of the republic if the present dynasty had held good. 
He had also several brothers and other relations ; but, 
as it is lately rumoured he has murdered some and 
imprisoned others, it is not certain what his family 
circle may now consist of. During Lopez's reign 
the administration has permitted and even encou- 
raged intercourse with foreign nations ; but it has 
been limited strictly to Lopez himself. Everybody 
and everything belongs to Lopez ; the engineers and 
the arsenal, the merchants and the merchandize, all 
are Lopez's. A man may not marry (should he be so 
fastidious as to wish for such a luxury) without the 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 103 

consent of Lopez. A document was found amongst 
his papers at the capture of Humaita from one 
Manuel Gromez, setting forth " that having arranged 
a contract of holy matrimony with Ventura Olmedo, 
he prayed for permission to change his residence in 
order to consummate the ceremony." It does not 
appear that this memorial met with the attention it 
deserved, or possibly in the hurry of retreat it was 
mislaid. Of course fees and taxes were exacted on 
all matters social or commercial, which assisted to 
swell the President's income ; and it is believed that 
notwithstanding the vast sums of money which have 
been expended on Humaita, and the other large 
fortresses on the river, he still must possess a con- 
siderable fortune. This will be a prize for the allies 
if they can stop its being sent down the river, for all 
other avenues are stopped, by an enemy's country on 
one side, and impassable forests on the other. 

The river Paraguay presents no important ob- 
stacles to navigation, the principal point to observe 
being the periodical rise of the water; this varies 
sometimes as much as three fathoms. The seasons 
are the same as in the Parana, which rises from 
December until May, and then falls until August, 
after which it remains at a medium depth until the 
seasons come round again. The danger attendant 
on grounding in the Paraguay is greater than in the 
Parana ; for the former river has a sharp rocky 
bottom, while the latter is generally sand. 

The entrance to the Paraguay at Tres Bocas is 
500 yards wide, and at medium river there is a 



104 LA PLATA, AND 

deptli of twelve feet of water. The iron-clads of the 
Brazilian Heet, i;nanj of which drew twelve and thir- 
teen feet of water, were entirely dependent on these 
periodical rises, both for forward movements, and also 
for retreat, if it should have been necessary. Their 
guns and ammunition were not shipped until they 
arrived at Corrientes ; for the Parana is equally 
shallow in various parts of its channel. On passing 
Tres Bocas, the river Paraguay widens to 800 yards ; 
the land also on the left bank becomes elevated and 
covered with w^oods, dense and impenetrable : on the 
right (or Chaco side) a long sand-bank runs parallel 
with the shore for a considerable distance, on the 
point of which stands the fort of Cerrito, a small 
guardia station. From Tres Bocas to Humaita the 
depth of water varies from two to four fathoms. 

It is difficult to conceive a more formidable ob- 
stacle to an advancing squadron than this small por- 
tion of the river between Tres Bocas and Humaita. 
The water is shallow, and most uncertain in its 
depth ; the turnings in the channel are sharp and 
frequent, and every available point was bristling 
with guns of heavy calibre, served by men who were 
acknowledged on all sides to be first-rate artillery- 
men. Lopez had taken great pains in forming a 
corps of officers especially instructed in that ai'm ; a 
select few were sent periodically to England and 
France to learn the latest improvements, and witness 
the difi'erent experiments in gunnery ; his arsenal 
was under the direction of men who had been 
brought up in English factories, as were his gun 



THE WAK IN PARAGUAY. 105 

foundries at Ibieuy, where the iron-mines in the 
vicinity afforded ample supply of metal. The prin- 
cipal part of the material and all the powder had 
been collected during a number of years from 
abroad ; and the large casemate battery at Humaita 
was armed with English guns, and called the 
London — a significant compliment ! 

In August, 1864, Lopez, having reached middle 
age, being just two years younger than his great 
rival and monitor the Emperor of Brazil, resolved 
to show the world his military resom*ces, and prove 
to the surrounding countries that he, and no other, 
was to be considered as their natm-al patron and 
dictator. On the 30th, Senor Berges, his foreign 
minister, was instructed to inform the Brazilian 
envoy, that the interference of Brazil in the affairs 
of the Republic of Uruguay could no longer be 
tolerated; his government must either abstain from 
mixing in the concerns of that country, or else 
prepare for war. It was also notified that the pro- 
vince of Matto Grosso, at that time occupied by 
Brazil, belonged of right to Paraguay, and it would 
be necessary for the Brazilian garrison to at once 
withdraw. Brazil was quite unprepared for war, 
never before having been called on, during her 
existence as an empire, to undertake naval or mili- 
tary operations on a large scale. However, the 
Emperor at once rejected all the Paraguayan pro- 
posals, and replied, through his minister, that the 
unsettled state of the Uruguayan government made 
it imperative that a Brazilian force should be sta- 



106 LA PLATA, AND 

tioned near the frontier, to protect tlie lives and 
property of Brazilian subjects living in the province 
of Rio Grande ; that Brazil had no intention of 
waiving her right to the province of Matto Grrosso ; 
and, finally, that the Brazilian government were not 
prepared to accept the counsel of President Lopez on 
any subject connected with the policy of the empire. 
This reply was received on the 2nd of September. 

On the 4th of December, Lopez, without any 
formal declaration of war, commenced operations by 
seizing the Brazilian governor of Matto Grosso, who 
happened to be passing Asuncion at the time, in a 
steamer, on the way to his seat of government, and 
hurried him off to the fortress of Humaita, where 
he was barbarously confined, under circumstances of 
great privation and suffering, until he died, two years 
afterwards. On this the Brazilian minister at the 
Paraguayan capital, justly alarmed for his o^ti safety, 
escaped on board a foreign man-of-war, then lying in 
the port. This stroke was at once followed up by the 
military occupation of Matto Grosso by Paraguay, and 
a demand for the passage of their troops across the 
Argentine province of Corrientes, for the purpose of 
attacking Bio Grande, the southernmost province 
of the Brazilian empire. Without waiting for an 
answer, which he well knew could only be a refusal, in 
March, 1865, Lopez crossed the Parana, and overran 
the province of Corrientes, capturing the town of 
the same name, with two Argentine war-steamers 
lying off the port, and cutting up the small force of 
Argentines under General Casceres, who tried to 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 



107 



arrest his progress. Bapidly moving across to the 
Brazilian frontier, he attacked and captured the 
fortress of Uruguayana, which was immediately 
occupied and garrisoned with a force of 5,000 men, 
under General Estigaribha. 

This sudden and violent irruption of Lopez, ac- 
companied, as it was, by the unjustifiable seizure of 
the Brazilian governor of Matto Grrosso, and the 
capture of the Argentine war-steamers, without any 
provocation or declaration of war, produced the 
utmost indignation in the three capitals. At Eio 
Janeiro, the seizure by Lopez of Senor Carneiros, 
who was an official of high rank, and related to some 
of the most influential families in the capital, pro- 
duced the greatest resentment. Energetic remon- 
strances were sent to the Paraguayan government, 
but without success. At Buenos Ayres and Monte 
Video, the feeling was no less intense. Notwith- 
standing the jealousy which existed amongst them- 
selves and also against Brazil, it was at once seen 
that the late incursion into their territory, the 
capture of their ships, and the destruction of their 
property by Paraguay, without any cause whatever, 
except the legitimate one of refusing a passage to 
the Paraguayan troops across their country, had 
placed the Confederation in a most humiliating 
position. 

The people were at once called to arms. 

*' Fellow-countrymen ! At a time of profound 
peace, the President of Paraguay has invaded our 
country, and treacherously seized two steamers. 



108 LA PLATA, AND 

killing and wounding nnnierous persons. We have 
done our best to avoid war, by maintaining a neutral 
position in the approaching contest between Brazil 
and Paraguay. But now the moment has arrived. 
Argentines ! I call on you in the name of the country, 
and by the authority of the law, to take your place 
as citizens and soldiers of a free state, whose banner 
has always been accompanied by justice and victory! 
" (Signed) Bart. Mitre." 

A rapid concentration of troops now took place on 
the frontiers of Uruguay. In the meantime Lopez 
had been devastating the country round Corrientes, 
burning and destroying in all directions. A pro- 
visional government was established, and those persons 
who did not give in their allegiance were either im- 
prisoned or sent over to Paraguay. Some few escaped, 
imagining that their wives and families would be 
respected ; but this proved a vain hope, for women 
and children were all hurried off to Humaita. The 
Brazilian army had up to the commencement of the 
present war been maintained on a peace footing, but 
now extraordinary levies were made, which soon 
augmented it to 30,967 men of all arms. These were 
at once sent into Eio Grrande, as the emperor wisely 
conjectured that Matto Grrosso was only a secondary 
object, and that the struggle would be decided on the 
southern frontier. By the end of July, 1865, the 
allied forces had effected a junction with each other 
near the position of Yatay, where the Paraguayan 
forces were encamped, and on the morning of the 17th 
of August a severe action ensued, resulting in the total 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 109 

defeat of the Paraguayans. The allies, pushing on, 
invested the fortress of TJruguayana, which soon fell 
into their hands, with its garrison (5,000 strong). 

The position of Lopez was now exceedingly critical ; 
he had totally miscalculated his resources for offensive 
operations. No provision had been made for main- 
taining an army at such a distance from its magazines. 
The Parana, a broad and rapid stream, was directly 
in his rear, and a powerful enemy's squadron was 
approaching to threaten his communications with 
Paraguay. He now resolved to retreat to his own 
country, and there await the storm he had brought on 
his head. Immediately carrying out this project, he 
broke up from Corrientes in the beginning of October, 
and withdrew the main body of his army to the op- 
posite bank of the river. 

While these operations had been going on between 
the respective armies. Admiral Yiscount Tamandare, 
with the following Brazilian squadron, had ascended 
the river Parana : — 

Belmont, 8. Amazonas, 8. j Ypiranga, 6. 

Icquitiulioula, 6. Paranaliyba, 8. Paraquai, 6. 

Ohuey, 4. Barrios, 6. | Araquary, 6. 

These were all wooden ships of light draught, but 
carried heavy guns. On the 11th of June, 1865, they 
were at anchor off the Eiachuelo, a small stream 
which falls into the Parana some distance below Cor- 
rientes, when suddenly the Paraguayan fleet, consist- 
ing of eight steamers, carrying twenty- five guns, and 
five chatas, full of troops, appeared coming round the 
point at full speed, with a strong current. These ships, 



Salto, 2. 
Marques 01mda,2. 



110 LA PLATA, AND 

whicli were principally steamers adapted from the 
merchant- service for carrying guns, were as follows: — 

Tacuri, 6. Issora, 2. 

Piribehe, 2. Paraguay, 2. 

Iqurey, 2. Tejuy, 2. 

Five chatas, one gun each. 

These dashed alongside the leading ships of the 
Brazilian squadron, and threw large boarding parties 
on their decks. A severe hand-to-hand combat en- 
sued, during which the Brazilian Paranahyha had two 
Paraguayan steamers on her at once ; her decks were 
cleared of defenders, and her colours hauled down by 
the enemy ; the Belmont was so badly hit that she 
sank ; the Icquitiuhoala ran on shore and was lost, and 
the Tpiranga was so severely handled that she lost 
half her crew : but at last the Brazilians got their 
steam ready, and the gallant Barroso, in the Ama- 
zonas (a heavy paddle-steamer), coming up at full 
speed, ran into the Salto, and sunk her at a blow ; 
backing off and making a circle up the river, he came 
down again before a three-knot current, crashing 
into the midst of the combatants at full speed. 
Nothing could stand the heavy bluff blows of 
the Commodore's ship, and at last the Paraguayans 
were compelled to retreat, with a loss of three ships, 
the Salto, Paraguay, and Tejuy. 

The large number of soldiers embarked in their 
ships, and the desperate courage with which they 
fought, caused the Paraguayan loss to be unusually 
severe ; it is estimated that they lost in killed, 
drowned, and wounded 1,000 officers and men : the 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. Ill 

only prisoners taken were wounded. The Brazilian loss 
was also large for a naval action ; in addition to the 
two ships which were destroyed, three hundred officers 
and men were killed and badly wounded. The news 
of this victory was received with great rejoicing. 
Commodore Barroso was promoted to the rank of 
admiral, and created Baron Amazonas, while the rest 
of the officers and men received promotion and re- 
wards ; a midshipman of the Paranahyba, who was 
killed while bravely defending the colours of his 
ship, was honoured by having a ship named after 
him in memory of his gallant action. 

Both fleets were so seriously injured after the 
action as to require extensive repairs ; indeed, the 
Paraguayan ships did not take any further part in 
the war, but confined their operations on water to 
what could be accomplished by chatas, which craft 
frequently proved formidable antagonists, with their 
one heavy gun. The Brazilian squadron was soon 
ready for action again, and having been joined 
by Admiral Muratori, with two Argentine steamers, 
it was determined to force a strong position the Para- 
guayans had occupied at Cuevos, where, with three 
thousand men and thirty guns, they had stopped 
the navigation of the river. 

The stream here, which flows past some high cliffs, 
is divided into two channels, one close to where the 
enemy had thrown up their works, the other nearei* 
the Chaco side. Admiral Muratori's flag-ship, the 
Guarda Nacional, had been a packet, and was of such 
slight scantling that one shot between wind and 



112 LA PLATA, AND 

water would have been sufficient to sink her. This, 
however, the gallant admiral did not take into con- 
sideration, but with colours flying from each mast- 
head, he boldly led his division through the nearest 
channel to the enemy's works. On his approach, the 
enemy opened a hurricane of shot, shell, and musketry 
on his ship ; but, sending every one below except the 
helmsman, he steamed right on under the batteries. 
The boldness of the manoeuvre saved his ship, for the 
enemy's gans being on a height, were now unable to 
reach him ; pushing rapidly on, he at length emerged 
from the dense clouds of smoke safe and sound, to the 
astonishment and delight of the rest of the squadron, 
who had run the guantlet with impunity, while the 
Paraguayans were trying to sink the Guarda Nacional. 
This was not the first instance Admiral Muratori 
had given of his dashing style of conducting naval 
operations. During the revolutionary wars of 1850 
and 1852, he commanded a ship under the Argentine 
government, and was well known for the boldness 
and success with which he carried out the services en- 
trusted to him. It is much to be regretted that the 
Argentine government were not able to afibrd the 
expense of fitting out an iron-clad for the Paraguayan 
war, as the experience and dash of Admiral Muratori 
could not have failed to have been of great service 
during the operations. Cuevos was the last action in 
which the Argentine navy took any part, for on th( 
advance of the Brazilian squadron to Paso de lal 
Patria, Yiscount Tamandare refused to allow the 
Argentine ships to accompany it. 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 113 



CHAPTEE yil. 

STRENGTH OF THE RESPECTIVE PORCES, THEIR POSITION, ETC. — 

STRATAGEM OF PARAGUAYANS ^NAVAL ENCOUNTER AT PASO DE 

LA PATRIA — PASSAGE OF THE ALLIED TROOPS EVACUATION OF 

ITAPIRU — ATTACK ON THE ALLIES BY LOPEZ ENGAGEMENT BEFORE 

ESTERO BELLACO. 

The allied armies were now making every effort to 
recruit their forces, and organize the new levies ; their 
commissariat and transport were in almost as imper- 
fect a condition as were those of the Paraguayans ; 
and although Lopez had retreated, and all imme- 
diate prospect of action on his part was over, the allied 
generals were very far from being in a position to attack 
him in his own country. The Brazilian forces were 
under the command of Marshal Osorio, but Greneral 
Mitre, the President of the Argentine Eepublic, was 
commander-in-chief, in accordance with the pro- 
visions of the Triple Alliance, Article 3, which said, 
"The operations of the war being. to commence in 
the country of the Argentine Republic, or on a part 
of Paraguayan territory bordering on the same, the 
command-in-chief and direction of the allied armies 
remains entrusted to the President of the Argentine 
Eepublic, Greneral Bartolome Mitre." 

The Brazilian forces were divided into three corps, 
viz : — 



114 



LA PLATA, AND 



1. Corps Osorio 

2. Corps Port Alegre 

3. Corps Polidoro 



Officers. 



65 

92 

113 



Artillery. Cavalry. 



497 
1,331 

767 



1,639 
1.497 
3.403 



Infantry. 



2,804 

7,856 

10,903 



Guns. 



24 
60 
30 



Total 30,967 men, and 114 guns. 
The Argentines, under General Gelly-y-Obes, were 
in one corps of 8,000 men ; the Orientals, under 
Greneral Yenancio Flores, were in a division 2,500 
strong, making a grand total of 41,467 men, with 114 
guns. These were distributed as follows : the Baron 
Port Alegre, with his corps, was near the Brazilian 
frontier in the province of Rio Grande. His men were 
chiefly new levies, and required considerable organiz- 
ation before marching against the enemy. General 
Flores, with his Orientals and a Brazilian brigade, 
numbering in all 4,500 men, was advancing in the 
direction of Tranquero de Loreto, a pass on the 
Parana, about eighty miles further up than the Paso 
de la Patria. The main body, under Mitre in person, 
was advancing slowly in the direction of Corrientes, 
keeping near the banks of the river Parana, and 
saving his men as much as possible during the in- 
tensely hot weather, which was now trying the young 
soldiers very much. Lopez was entrenched on the 
banks of the river opposite Paso de la Patria, at the 
position of Itapiru, with an army of 37,000 men, and 
120 guns, as follows : — 
40 regiments of infantry, 700 strong... 28,000 
32 „ cavalry, 200 strong ... 6,400 

artillery, ... 3,000 and 120 guns. 



Total ... 37,400 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 115 

Of these 8,000 were in garrison at Humaita and the 
adjacent works. 

The Paraguayan fleet consisted of, in addition to 
twenty small steamers, fifteen chatas armed each with 
either a sixty-eight pounder or a heavy thirty-two. 
These were posted in the different creeks along the 
banks of the river, ready to move out whenever their 
services might he required. 

During the deliberate advance of the allies, whose 
troops were only marched from one encampment to 
another as it became necessary from sanitary con- 
siderations, Lopez made several attempts to open ne- 
gotiations with Greneral Mitre, with a view of detach- 
ing the Argentine government from the alliance; 
but the unscrupulous conduct of the Paraguayan 
chief, his utter disregard for all the acknowledged 
usages of civilized warfare, and his cruel treatment 
of the inhabitants of Corrientes, had disgusted even 
his own partisans, and all his proposals were rejected. 
In his note to General Mitre, he complained, with a 
certain amount of reason, of the enlistment of Para- 
guayan prisoners in the allied armies, alluding to 
the men captured at Uruguayana, who were incorpo- 
rated with the Oriental division, and most unwisely 
allowed to accompany the army into Paraguay, where 
afterwards they were a constant source of trouble, 
and at the battle of Tuyuty their treacherous con- 
duct was the cause of great sacrifice of life on the 
part of the allies. 

By the end of January, 1866, the army was close 
to Corrientes, and the advance guard, under General 

I 2 



116 LA PLATA, AND 

Hornos, who had a force of 2,000 men under his 
orders, pushed on to the Paso de la Patria, to observe 
the motions of the enemy. Lopez, narrowly watch- 
ing every movement of the allies, soon noticed the 
exposed position of this officer, and on the night 
of the 30th of January moved over a large body of 
troops, and attacked the Argentine Greneral, send- 
ing one detachment to draw him down to the water's 
edge, while another strong body were in ambush 
amongst the woods which line the bank. This strata- 
gem succeeded perfectly. On the approach of the 
enemy, Greneral Hornos hastily ordered an attack, 
without waiting to reconnoitre or form his own men. 
The Paraguayans retreated as he advanced, and 
drew him under the fire from the wood. This at 
once arrested his progress ; the retreating enemy now 
turned, and a tremendous fire was opened on the 
Argentines from all quarters. The troops, who were 
under fire for the first time, bravely stood their 
ground for some time, but at last were obliged to 
retire with heavy loss. The Paraguayans, embold- 
ened by this success, increased their force the next 
morning, and advanced into the interior of the 
country, foraging. On this, Greneral Mitre ordered 
up the second Argentine division, with a battery of 
artillery, under Greneral Conesa. These reinforce- 
ments, which included the Buenos Ayrean guards, 
advanced with great gallantry, and drove the enemy 
back with considerable loss. But instead of taking 
experience by the disaster of the previous day, they 
charged right up to the woods and jungle on the 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 117 

banks of the river. Here a terrible scene of carnage 
ensued. The enemy's batteries established on an 
island about five hundred yards off opened with fatal 
precision. Two chefs-de-hataillon were killed, and 
two wounded ; five other officers were killed, and 
twenty-seven wounded, while the men were mowed 
down by hundreds, 480 being killed and badly 
wounded in a very short time ; a large proportion out 
of a force little over 2,000 men. The Argentine 
troops now, having lost nearly all their officers, and 
being exposed to a decimating fire, to which they 
could make no adequate return, hastily retreated ; 
but large reinforcements coming up at the time, 
they were enabled to re-form without any further loss. 
The Paraguayans had also suffered severely in this 
desperate combat, and during the night retired to 
their own side of the river. 

On the 10th of February, the Paraguayans again 
sent over a considerable body of men, but the allies, 
taught by dearly-bought experience, sent down such 
a large force to meet them that nothing decisive 
occurred ; the Paraguayans withdrawing after the 
exchange of a few shots between the skirmishers. 
This continual forcing of the fighting by Lopez had 
now effectually roused the allied generals. The 
whole army was concentrated in the vicinity of Paso 
de la Patria, and the fleet, which had been for some 
time at anchor off the town of Corrientes, commenced 
taking soundings higher up the river. The Brazilian 
water-transport had also been brought to great per- 
fection. The termination of the war in America had 



118 LA PLATA, AND 

lately thrown a large number of blockade-runners 
out of employ. These now found ample occupation 
in conveying troops and military stores from Hio and 
Monte Yideo to the seat of war, their light draught 
of water being admirably adapted to the navigation 
of the river Parana. The Brazilians eagerly bought 
them up as opportunity offered, and now they were 
continually running backwards and forwards with 
men and supplies. Corrientes soon became a vast 
camp and military arsenal, troops and munitions of 
war were being landed in a constant stream all day 
long. Admiral Tamandare, who had been at Buenos 
Ayres for some time, making arrangements for the 
forthcoming campaign, now rejoined his fleet, bring- 
ing with him a reinforcement of two iron-clads, the 
Brazil and the Barroso. The Tamandare, a turret 
ship, had preceded him a short time before. 

On the 17th of February, the wooden ships having 
previously arranged their chain-cables as a defensive 
armour, and having prepared for action by striking 
all superfluous masts and spars, weighed, and pro- 
ceeded with the iron-clads to attack the enemy's 
works at Itapiru opposite the Paso de la Patria. 
The cannonade soon became mutual and heavy, the 
Paraguayan chatas, which played an important part 
in the engagement, proving most formidable antago- 
nists ; for while they were difiicult to strike them- 
selves, from their lowness in the water, and from 
being able to constantly shift their position, they 
were able to fire on the large hulls of the Brazilian 
ships with fatal effect. One shot, which entered a 



I 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 119 

port in the Tamandares turret, killed her captain 
(Lima Barros) and four men, and wounded nearly 
every other person in the turret, twelve of them 
severely. The shot is said to have bounded back 
from the opposite side of the interior of the turret, 
and have broken to fragments against her sixty-eight 
pounder, which it disabled, and the vessel herself had 
to go out of action. The Brazilian squad, after ob- 
serving the enemy's coast and sounding the various 
parts of the river likely to be favourable points for 
landing troops, returned to their anchorage at Cor- 
rientes. 

The allies had now assembled two hundred boats 
and rafts, which were calculated to be capable of trans- 
porting seven thousand men each trip. There were 
also seven light steamers, and a launch, supposed to 
be available for five thousand more, and, in addition, 
there were the ships of the fleet, if they should be 
required. Previous to attempting the passage of the 
river, however, it was necessary to gain possession of 
the island of Itapiru, situated nearly mid- stream, 
and so called from being directly opposite the fort 
of the same name. Accordingly, on February 28th, 
a Brazilian force of infantry and artillery, 1,200 
strong, under Colonel Cabrita, was landed, under 
cover of a fire from the fleet, and works were 
immediately thrown up, which commanded the 
Paraguayan batteries opposite. The fleet now 
took up their position between the island and the 
allied camp, keeping up an occasional fire on the 
enemy at Itapiru. This proved so galling to the 



120 LA PLATA, AKD 

Paraguayans, that on the 10th of March a desperate 
attempt was made to wrest the island from the hands 
of the Brazilians. One thousand chosen men were 
thrown on it, who gallantly stormed the works, hut 
they were met by such a terrible fire that half their 
numbers were rendered hors cle combat by the first 
volley. Their leader and sixty of his men were taken 
prisoners, while the survivors hastily retreated to their 
boats, and escaped to the Paraguayan shore. The 
officer in command of the expedition, Colonel Romero, 
who was wounded, was considered by Lopez as one of 
his best officers, and was a great loss to his army. The 
Brazilian loss, although small, was viewed with much 
concern by the allied generals, in consequence of the 
death of the gallant Colonel Cabrita, who was killed, 
with three officers of his staff (while writing the 
despatch announcing the repulse of the enemy), by a 
shell from the Paraguayan batteries at Itapiru. 

The allied army now only awaited the signal to 
commence the passage of the river. At last, to the 
great joy of the troops, on the evening- of the 15th of 
April, 1866, orders were given for the men to be 
under arms by midnight, and to cross at daylight. 
The fleet were in position to cover the movement as 
follows : the Brazil, Bahia, Barrosso, and Taman- 
dare (iron-clads) were to closely engage the enemy's 
works at Itapiru, while the troops, after making a 
feint of crossing at that point, were to suddenly alter 
their course, for a landing two miles further down 
the river, a position which had been carefully recon- 
noitred some time before by Marshal Osorio him-j 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 121 

self. The wooden ships were drawn up close to the 
Corrientes side of the stream, ready to tow the flats 
and operate as occasion might require. 

The task the allies had undertaken of invading 
Paraguay by the Paso de la Patria was one of no 
ordinary difficulty. This portion of the republic lies 
between the two great streams, Parana and Para- 
guay, which unite at the Tres Bocas, and for some 
distance above the junction of these rivers the whole 
face of the country on either side of them is covered 
with dense and impenetrable forests ; within the 
delta of the rivers those portions of the country 
which are not covered with wood are either marshes 
or lakes, and altogether it would be difficult to 
imagine a field for military operations less favourable 
for an invading army. 

There are two distinct roads from Nembuco to 
Asuncion, one by the Missiones, and the other by the 
banks of the river (the coast as it is called). The 
first road is circuitous, but the ground is firm and 
good for travelling on ; the distance is called 130 
leagues. The coast road only measures about eighty 
leagues, but it passes through marshes, swamps, and 
large sheets of shallow water. The journey by this 
latter route is well described in Eobertson's " Travels." 
The commandant pressed me to take the circuitous 
road, but a saving of forty- five leagues tempted me 
to travel by the other. The commandant, seeing I 
was determined, picked out the best man he had in 
his service to accompany me as guide. He was in- 
deed a very fine handsome young fellow, brave, 



122 T.A PLATA, AND 

intelligent, and active, yet modest and unassuming 
in his deportment. We liad only advanced a few 
leagues when we found ourselves in the marshy land. 
"We waded for hours through apparently intermin- 
able lakes or great shallow ponds of water. Patches 
of dry land were to be seen here and there, with 
miserable huts on them. We skirted the woods 
which ran along the banks of the Paraguay, but of 
the river itself we never got a sight. At the distance 
of every three or four leagues we came to what were 
now swollen and wide rivers, though in ordinary 
times most of them were but rivulets easily fordable. 
In such cases we had to cross in a balsa or pelota. 
With great exertion we made our seventeen leagues 
the first day, and took up our night's lodging at a 
miserable rancho ; the damp mud floor of it being 
our bed. Two-thirds of the day we had been up to our 
saddle-girths in water, and I found we had the same 
sort of travelling to expect till we got to Angostura, 
nine leagues from Asuncion. 

The allied preparations being complete at daylight, 
Osorio's division (10,000 strong), with eight guns, was 
embarked and pushed across directly against the Para- 
guayan works at Itapiru ; at the same moment the 
fleet and batteries opened fire with a deafening can- 
nonade. Osorio held steadily on until within a short 
distance from the shore, when by a preconcerted 
arrangement the transports altered their course, in 
the direction of the intended landing-place, and, 
dropping down rapidly with the swift current, ran 
alongside the river's bank on the Paraguayan side. 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 123 

Here the troops were quickly landed, and formed on 
a narrow space of land covered on the flank nearest 
the enemy's troops by an extensive and impassable 
morass. This skilful movement had completely 
deceived Lopez, who now, before he could reach 
Osorio, would have to make a long detour to get 
round the morass. 

The Brazilians at once threw out scouts to discover 
a passage through the swamp, and watch the enemy ; 
but Lopez, who was still threatened at Itapiru by the 
remainder of the allied forces, was in no condition to 
detach any one to molest them. Osorio after some 
difficulty found a path which led to the interior 
of the country ; and, placing his guns in the centre, 
began to force his way through the jungle. In 
the meantime the Argentine and Oriental divisions 
embarked, and under cover of a furious cannonade 
succeeded in landing at the same point as the 
Brazilians. Lopez now, seeing plainly that it was 
impossible to prevent the passage of the allies, 
withdrew his forces from Itapiru (after sending 
his guns and stores to the rear) to a chosen position 
at Estero Bellaco. Osorio, pushing on through 
the swamp, where his men were frequently up to 
their waists in water, soon encountered the rear 
and flanking parties of Lopez's retiring army. 
Some severe skirmishing ensued, but at last the 
Argentine and Oriental troops having come up under 
Paunero and Flores, the whole pushed on together 
for Itapiru, which they found evacuated. Osorio's ad- 
vance had been attended with many great difficulties : 



124 LA PLATA, AT^D 

while his men (who had been up all night) were 
toiling through the swamp and jungle, dragging 
their guns after them, a tremendous storm of rain 
arose, which so thickened the an^ that they could not 
see where they were going ; their only guide until 
the enemy attacked them being the sound of the 
cannonade at Itapiru ; in addition to this their march 
was harassed by the enemy's sharpshooters, who, 
hurrying down from the main body at Itapiru, kept 
up a running fire the whole day ; and early next 
morEing, on being reinforced by Lopez with 3,000 
men, and three guns, they made a desperate attack 
on the allied encampment, but were repulsed with 
loss, leaving two out of their three guns in the 
hands of the allies. 

Greneral Mitre, directly the retreat of the enemy 
was observed, occupied the landing on the Para- 
guayan side of the Paso de la Patria, and imme- 
diately commenced the passage of the artillery and 
cavalry; this was carried on with such vigour that 
by the morning of the 18th 35,000 men, with 100 
guns, were in position on the deserted Paraguayan 
lines of Itapiru. 

Lopez's position at the Estero Bellaco was ex- 
ceedingly strong; the narrow and only road to 
Humaita here passes between an impassable morass 
on the river side, and equally impenetrable woods 
on the east or land side. The road itself is com- 
posed of fine dusty sand, very deep, affording great 
facilities for the formation of parapets and other 
defensive works. This had been ably taken advan- 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 125 

tage of by Lopez, who had constructed a series of 
works, at a distance of a few miles apart, right up to 
Humaita itself. "While the main body of the allies 
remained at Itapiru, waiting for the stores and am- 
munition to be brought over, the advanced posts were 
pushed on under Greneral Mores to the Pass of Saint 
Francisco, on the margin of the Estero Bellaco. 
Here the watchful eye of Lopez soon detected their 
exposed position, and, taking advantage of the period 
when the troops were taking their midday meal and 
siesta, he attacked them with 6,000 men. These 
burst with great violence on the unprepared Orien- 
tals, overturning their camp, and cutting to pieces 
the troops and camp-followers, who were mixed up 
in the most inextricable confusion ; the artillerymen 
cut their traces and rode off on the horses. Greneral 
Flores had his horse shot under him, and was nearly 
taken prisoner. Colonel Palleja was also unhorsed, 
and all w^ere flying in the wildest confusion, when 
Marshal Osorio, hearing the heavy and sustained 
fii^e going on in front, without waiting for intelli- 
gence, at once put the troops under arms and hurried 
up to the front with two infantry divisions and one 
of cavalry, under Grenerals Paunero, Yictorino, and 
Netto. These meeting the enemy, who were much 
disordered by their previous success, soon turned 
the tide of affairs. The Paraguayans, who were not 
supported by any reserves, retreated at full speed 
until covered by the guns of their own batteries, and 
the allied forces, who did not pursue beyond this 
point, resumed their original positions. The loss of 



126 LA PLATA, AND 

the allies on this disastrous occasion, in which the 
Oriental division was almost destroyed, amounted to 
294 killed and 400 badly wounded. Their camp 
equipage was lost and several guns rendered useless. 
The Paraguayans, who fought with the most deter- 
mined bravery, were much cut up in consequence of 
their unfortunate tactics in not providing a reserve 
force to cover the retreat of the main body when ne- 
cessary. Their loss of 500 left on the field occurred 
principally during the retreat. Three guns were 
also captured by the allies. A regiment of Argentine 
cavalry distinguished itself during the pursuit, cap- 
turing the colours of a Paraguayan regiment, and the 
officer who carried them. Both were sent to Buenos 
Ayres, with the despatch announcing the action. 

The position of the allied army was now advanced 
nearer the ravine of the Estero Bellaco, but the ad- 
vance-posts remained as before ; extra entrenchments 
were thrown up, and every efi'ort made to prevent 
surprise. The situation was extremely unfavourable : 
in front was the narrow pass leading to the enemy's 
works, which were bristling with cannon and full of 
men, and on both flanks the ground was so broken 
up by swamps and woods as to be quite impassable 
to an advancing army, until roads had been cut 
through the jungle, while it was well adapted 
for, and much exposed to, sudden attacks by an 
enterprising enemy who knew the ground, and 
who had carefully studied it beforehand. Every 
night the allied outposts sustained severe loss from 
the Paraguayan sharp-shooters, who, concealed by 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 127 

the trees and tall reeds, were able to approach 
close to the lines without being perceived. These 
attacks were so frequent, and appeared to be ac- 
complished with such ease, that at last Lopez was 
emboldened by the prolonged inactivity of the allies 
to try a blow in that direction on a larger scale. 

On the morning of the 24th of May, he advanced 
two columns of 10,000 men, one on each flank of 
the allied lines. The right Paraguayan column 
was commanded by General Barrios, the commander- 
in-chief of the army under Lopez; the left under 
General Resquim : this latter was composed of 6,000 
infantry, 3,500 cavalry, and ten guns. E-esquim 
was ordered to turn the allied right, and dash on for 
Itapiru, where he was to destroy the allied arsenals 
and stores, and then, joining with Barrios, drive their 
armies back to the river. The right column under 
Barrios was composed of the same number of men as 
the left, but most of the cavalry were on foot. Its 
duty was to attack the allied left rear, and prevent any 
reinforcements being sent to Itapiru. The plan was 
well conceived and boldly executed, as far as it went, 
but the means at the disposal of Lopez were quite 
inadequate for such a task. For while the Para- 
guayan resources had been strained to the utmost 
in providing soldiers for their army, boys of from 
twelve to fourteen years of age having been already 
called on for military service, the allies, particularly 
the Brazilians, were receiving reinforcements daily, 
and now actually had 34,000 effective men in the 
field, with 120 pieces of cannon, most of which were 



128 LA PLATA, AND 

Whitworth's rifled twelve-pounders, besides heavier 
guns of position. 

The Paraguayan attack commenced on the morn- 
ing of the 24 th. Eesquim burst with great fury on 
the allied advance-posts on the right, and, cutting 
up a regiment of Argentine cavalry, stormed and 
carried the entrenchments in that quarter, spiking 
the guns and overturning the camps of the Ai'gentine 
divisions, who were stationed in that part of the 
line. Passing rapidly through the allied position, 
he marched on Itapiru_, which was garrisoned by the 
3rd and 5th Argentine divisions. These, unable to 
stand the weight of the Paraguayan attack, fell 
back with great loss, after making a gallant stand, 
in which their chief, Greneral Paunero, was wounded, 
and Colonels Eoja, Pagola, and Basantimo were 
killed. The allied right and rear were now entii^ely 
in the hands of the enemy, who commenced de- 
stroying the stores and reserve parks of the army. 
But in the meanwhile the attack of the right column, 
under Barrios, had not been so successful. The 
Brazilians, who were posted on the left of the allied 
line, had heard of the attack in time to prepare 
for it, and although the Paraguayans came on with 
their usual dash and impetuosity, they were met 
by such vastly superior numbers, that, with the 
exception of one division, none of their troops 
penetrated beyond the outer Hues of defence. One 
division succeeded, under cover of the woods, in 
getting in rear of the Brazilian batteries, but here 
they were speedily surrounded, and destroyed to a 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 129 

man. This repulse enabled Marshal Osorio to send 
assistance to the right rear, where Eesquim's cavalry 
were sabring the Argentines, and setting fire to the 
allied stores. The arrival of the Brazilians, how- 
ever, speedily changed the aspect of affairs. They 
came pouring in on all sides, horse, foot, and artillery, 
and opened a tremendous fire on the Paraguayans, 
who in vain tried to make an orderly retreat. They 
were obliged, after the most desperate fighting, to 
disperse in the woods on their flank, and regain 
their own lines by circuitous routes, through which 
the allies could not follow them. This success was 
taken advantage of by General Mitre to push for- 
ward his lines to the other side of the " Bellaco " 
stream, where he intrenched himself in the position 
of Tuyuty . 

The losses of the allies during this severe struggle 
amounted to 672 killed and 2,645 wounded. Of 
these the Brazilians lost 413 killed and 2,094 
wounded, including amongst the latter Marshal 
Osorio. The Argentines, who were most severely 
handled, lost, out of 3,000 men engaged, 126 killed 
and 388 wounded ; the former included 3 chefs de 
hataillon and 15 officers, the latter 1 general, 1 chef, and 
20 officers. The Paraguayans, who, it is said, refused 
quarter, lost 4,000 killed and wounded, 4 guns, 
8 stand of colours, and quantities of arms, &c. 



130 LA PLATA, AND 



CHAPTER YIII. 

POSITION OF THE ALLIED ARMY — MORTALITY AMONG THE FORCES — 
TORPEDOES — INACTIVITY OF THE ALLIES — CONTEST FOR THE 
TUYUTY MOUND DEATH OF COLONEL PALLEJA BRILLIANT AT- 
TACK UPON CURUPAITI REPULSE OF THE ALLIES APPOINTMENT 

OF ADMIRAL IGNACIO HIS ENERGY AND GALLANTRY -VS'ITH- 

DRAWAL OF THE ARGENTINE TROOPS — MOVEMENT TO TURN THE 
PARAGUAYAN FLANK AT LAS ROJAS. 

The new position taken up by the allied army was 
separated from the Paraguayan lines by a swamp 
which extended as far as Lake Piris on the left, 
and on the right was lost in the Nembuco woods. 
Beyond the swamp in front was a dense wood, in 
which the Paraguayan outposts were placed, and 
farther back, at Britt, eight miles from Humaita, 
Lopez was intrenched with the main body of his 
troops; the flanks of the respective armies were 
covered by impassable morasses and dense woods. 
Both sides now were much exhausted by their late 
severe efforts. The constant fatigue was beginning 
to tell on the new Brazilian levies with fatal effect. 
A terrible mortality struck down hundreds, and the 
accumulation of unburied corpses, which, from the 
nature of the ground, it was difficult to inter properly, 
became so alarming that the medical officers of the 
army reported that unless something were done to re- 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 131 

move tlie evil, tlie army would be certainly destroyed 
by pestilence. On this report vast hecatombs of bodies 
were made and burnt; but although this measure 
stopped all immediate fear of the plague, it did not 
remove the sickness. The new, and often very young, 
recruits, Avhich, by the great efforts of the Brazilian 
government, were being continually raised and hur- 
ried off to the front, died almost as soon as they 
joined their regiments. Nor was the sickness con- 
fined to the men only. The officers suffered severely. 
Grenerals Sampaio and Netto died, and Marshal 
Osorio, from the combined effects of illness and his 
wound received in the last action, was compelled to 
relinquish his command, which was conferred on 
Greneral Polidoro. The total loss sustained by the 
Brazilian army alone up to this time was, accord- 
ing to Marshal Osorio's report, 920 killed, 3,200 
wounded, and by the end of May 10,000 were in 
hospital. The number of deaths from sickness is 
not mentioned ; but when we consider that the Bra- 
zilian army was only 30,000 strong at that time, 
the fact that one-third were in hospital shows what 
ravages sickness was making in their ranks. This 
fatal epidemic affected the animals also to such a 
degree that the cavalry and artillery were nearly 
unhorsed. 

The Paraguayans, whose resources were nearer at 
hand, did not suffer to such an extent as the allies, 
and as the latter slackened their exertions, the former 
redoubled theirs. Lopez established a battery of siege- 
guns at his outposts, and bombarded the allied camp 

k2 



132 LA PLATA, AND 

for three days, causing great destruction of tents and 
stores, although not attended by any considerable 
loss of life. On the river he was no less active ; tor- 
pedoes were sent down on the Brazilian fleet at 
anchor at Tres Bocas, fitted so as to float down the 
stream a short distance below the surface of the water ; 
others were brought off by Paraguayan boats, and 
efforts made to attach them to the screws of the 
Brazilian ships : the body of a Paraguayan was 
picked up entangled in the rudder-chains of the 
Brazil, who had been evidently trying to attach a 
torpedo and had been drowned in the attempt. 

The arrangements adopted by the Brazilian ad- 
miral for stopping the torpedoes and towing them 
away before they reached the ships were as follows. 
The boats of the fleet were divided into three squad- 
rons, which relieved each other in romng guard 
night and day ; each boat had several grappling 
irons with long lines attached, with which they 
hooked the floats to which the torpedoes were at- 
tached, and towed them to the shore. Several plans 
were submitted to Admiral Tamandare for remov- 
ing torpedoes, but in his despatch after the attack 
on Curupaiti, he says, "he has found the arrange- 
ment with boats the most feasible and effective." It 
was a service of great danger grappling them : a 
lieutenant of the Iraquay was blown up, with a boat's 
crew of seven men, by allowing his boat to come down 
with the tide too rapidly and to strike the torpedo, 
which immediately exploded. In addition to these 
precautions, the headmost ships had heavy spars fitted 



THE WAU IN PARAGUAY. 133 

to project over the bows, and drop in the water, which 
were intended to stop the torpedo, and explode it 
clear of the hull of the ship. Only one ship was 
struck at this time by a torpedo, the Mearim, 
and in her case the precautions taken prevented 
any damage beyond broken glass and skylights. 

In the allied camp affairs were still far from satis- 
factory ; while the men were weakened by sickness, 
a sudden rise in the river overflowed the camp and 
intrenchments, turning the small rivulet of the 
Ester Bellaco into a swollen torrent, causing 
considerable loss of life, and sweeping off numbers 
of horses and cattle. These several disasters, and 
the inactivity of the army and fleet, caused the 
greatest impatience at Eio. The extraordinary 
inaction of the fleet, which had been lying at 
Tres Bocas ever since the passage of the army 
in April, in particular, created great astonishment. 
The late rise in the river had given them a 
fair opportunity to do something, but the mo- 
ment was allowed to pass. However, this apathy 
did not extend to the Paraguayan lines ; for Lopez 
now began to push forward on the allied left, 
with a view of cutting them off from their ships on 
the river. With this intention he began work- 
ing gradually up to a conspicuous mound of about 
two hundred metres square, which rises abruptly 
from the plain, which, originally dry land, had 
lately become a swamp, only passable at cer- 
tain points. The sides of this mound were steep, 
and covered with tall palms and dense brush-wood. 



134 LA PLATA, AND 

On the summit was a clear space of about a liundred 
metres. The spot thus formed a most desirable mili- 
tary position. It, however, was exactly between the 
hostile lines, being situated six hundred yards in front 
of the left of the allied position, and about double that 
distance from the Paraguayan right flank. If Lopez 
could have gained this, the allied intrenchments must 
have been soon made untenable, for any guns 
mounted on the summit would have enfiladed them 
from end to end. 

Immediately the allied generals became aware of 
this movement they awoke to the danger of their 
situation. It was at once resolved to attack the 
enemy, and drive him from his new position. Ac- 
cordingly, the next morning, the 16th of July, 
General Souza, at the head of the 4th division of 
Brazilians, with four guns, and a battalion of sap- 
pers, who had passed the night in a wood close to 
the enemy's works, commenced the attack by storm- 
ing the advance-trench, and driving out the covering 
parties, who were taken completely by surprise. The 
Brazilians, following up their success, made a desperate 
attack on the enemy's second line ; but they were 
met by such a severe fire that they were obliged to 
hastily retreat to the work previously captured. Here 
the sappers had been busily engaged in turning the 
enemy's works against their late occupants, and, 
reinforcements having arrived, Greneral Souza was 
able to firmly establish himself in the captured work. 
The enemy now opened a heavy cannonade all along 
their line, under cover of which they sent repeated 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 135 

columns against the advance- work; but, notwithstand- 
ing the violence of the attacks and the heavy loss 
sustained on both sides, they were repulsed on every 
occasion. The 6th Brazilian division, under Greneral 
Yictorino, now occupied the advance-trench, and both 
sides, much exhausted, ceased firing for the night. 
The capture of this outwork from the Paraguayans 
removed all fear of the mound being occupied, much 
as it was coveted on both sides, and the whole of tte 
17th was spent in strengthening the newly-acquired 
position. 

On the morning of the 18th, the mound was again 
the object of contention ; this time the allies tried 
to occupy it. At daylight the 6th Yictorino divi- 
sion and the 3rd Argentines advanced from their 
trenches and made a rush for it, while Colonel Palleja, 
with the Oriental division and a regiment of Bra- 
zilian infantry, stormed the enemy's intrenchments 
beyond, on its left flank. This attack, which was 
closely supported by the 9th Brazilian division, was 
at first most successful. The troops dashed over the 
enemy's works, and captured seven guns ; but now a 
heavy fire was opened on the storming party from the 
Paraguayan second line, and such was its severity 
that in a very short time the allies lost half their 
number in killed and wounded. Colonel Palleja, 
commanding the Orientals, was killed, General 
Yictorino was wounded, and nearly all the prin- 
cipal officers were either killed or badly wounded. 
Under these circumstances a retreat was necessary, 
and Greneral Souza now coming up with two fresh 



136 LA PLATA, AND 

divisions, the remnant of the storming party were 
drawn off under cover of their fire, and both sides 
resumed their original positions. The object of these 
bloody combats, the Cora Mound, remained, as 
before, unoccupied by either side. The loss sus- 
tained by the allies during the two combats amounted 
to four thousand killed and wounded ; amongst the 
former was the gallant Colonel Palleja, who com- 
manded the Oriental di\dsion, imder General Flores, 
He was distinguished equally for his bravery and de- 
votion in the field, and for his scientific acquirements. 
He had during the war contributed a series of the 
most graphic descriptions of the operations of the 
allied armies to the Monte Yidean journals, and his 
loss was much felt both at home and in the army. 

The accession of General Polidoro to the command 
of the Brazilian troops, on Marshal Osorio being 
wounded, had been attended with the best results. 
He was an officer in the prime of life, and well able 
to introduce and sustain a vigorous policy. He now 
threw all his energies into the work of opening out 
his flanks, arid establishing a communication with the 
fleet ; roads were speedily cut through the forests, 
and the lines extended on a much longer front. The 
fleet also were now stimulated by the presence of 
Seiior Octaviano, the energetic Brazilian minister for 
foreign affairs. Baron Port Alegre's division, 10,000 
strong, which had been for some time at Candelaria, 
threatening the Paraguayan frontier at the pass of 
Ytapua, was now ordered up with all despatch to 
join the main body. General Mitre had long seen 



THE WAU IN PAKAGUAY. 137 

the necessity of a forward movement on tlie direct 
road to Humaita, but, before this could be done, it 
was necessary to secure the Paraguayan fortress of 
Curuzu, which even now in the present position of 
the alHes almost screened their left flank, and endan- 
gered their communications with the Paso de la Patria, 
where their reserve stores were kept. It was now 
decided to take advantage of the arrival of Port 
Alegre's division to make a combined attack on 
Cm-uzu. Accordingly, on the morning of the 1st of 
September, the trpops v/ere embarked in transports, 
and conveyed to a point a few miles below the for- 
tress, on the banks of the river Paraguay, where they 
landed without opposition. In the meantime the Bra- 
zilian fleet, led by the iron-olads Bahia, Brazil, Barosso^ 
Lima Barros, and Bio Janeiro, steamed up to the 
enemy's works. Curuzu was a large earthwork sur- 
rounded by a ditch and abattis, mounted with thirteen 
guns towards the river, of various calibres, from eighty 
and sixty-eight pounders to twenty-fours. It was 
five miles in a straight line from Humaita, but much 
farther by the windings of the river. Between Curuzu 
and Humaita was the large fort of Curupaiti, mounted 
with forty guns. The fleet proceeded slowly, thread- 
ing their way through the numerous obstructions and 
torpedoes until noon, when the leading ship reached 
the enemy's works. The iron-clads steamed on until 
all had taken up their intended positions, and then 
opened fire. An unremitting cannonade was kept up 
all day and part of the night, without any decisive ad- 
vantage on either side. Many of the Brazilian ships 



138 LA PLATA, AXD 

were, however, much damaged from shot entering 
their port-holes. The Rio Janeiro, a casemate central 
battery, four and a half inch plating, built at Eio, had 
two ports forward on the engaged side knocked into 
one; a sixty-eight pounder was disabled, and 
one man killed and seven wounded. At day- 
light the next morning the combat was renewed, 
the fleet keeping up a fierce bombardment on the 
out works of Curupaiti, as well as Curuzu itself. At 
two p.m. the unfortunate Bio Janeiro was blown up 
by a torpedo, numbers of which were continually 
being launched by the Paraguayans at Curupaiti, and 
floated down the stream. Out of her crew of 115 
officers and men, the Rio Janeiro lost her captain, 
Mariz Barros, and flfty-three men killed or drowned, 
and several wounded, who were picked up by the 
boats of the fleet ; the remainder were rescued by the 
wooden gun- vessel Itaghy, which gallantly came to her 
assistance. The Itaghy was now herself disabled by 
a shot entering her boiler, scalding four men to death, 
and in her turn had to be towed off. 

While the fleet were engaging the river batteries. 
Baron Port Alegre had been working his way up to 
assaulting distance by sap, and the next morning at 
seven a.m. his men made a rush at the enemy's works 
with the bayonet, the storming parties attacking 
three sides of the fortress at once, and carrying the po- 
sition in the most brilliant style. The enemy hastily 
retreated on Curupaiti, leaving 900 killed and wounded, 
with all their cannon, in the hands of the victors. 

This was one of the best conducted actions of the 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 139 

whole war. The arrival of the news of the victory 
was celebrated at the different capitals with great 
rejoicings, and an early termination to the war was 
confidently looked for. The allied generals now re- 
doubled their efforts. General Mitre moved down to 
the support of Port Alegre with 10,000 men, and an 
advance on Ourupaiti was immediately projected. 
The whole Argentine corps was held in readiness, 
and the fleet, anxious to follow up their late success, 
soon repaired their damages, and were reported ready 
to advance. About this time Lopez sent in a flag 
of truce, to request an interview with the allied gene- 
rals. General Polidoro, on the part of the Brazilians, 
declined, but Lopez was received at the outposts by 
Generals Mitre and Flores, and a most friendly 
discussion took place, until Lopez, understanding 
that his abdication was to be considered as a sine 
qua non, abruptly broke off the conference. 

The next morning the attack on Ourupaiti com- 
menced. At daylight, on the 22nd of September, the 
fleet advanced, led by the Bahia and Lima Barros, 
who took up a position to enfilade the enemy's works. 
The Brazil, Barosso, and Tamandare, with three 
wooden ships protected by chain-cables, followed by 
another channel, and at noon succeeded in breaking 
through the boom and stockade erected by the enemy 
across the river, and opened their fire. Directly the 
attack by the fleet had become developed, the allied 
storming parties advanced. On the left were three 
Brazilian columns, which were to attack the centre 
and right of the enemy's works. On the right tvs^o 



140 LA PLATA, AND 

columns of Argentines were destined to storm 
the left intrenchments. The Brazilians were under 
command of Baron Port Alegre, and the Argentines 
under Greneral Paunero, while General Mitre directed 
the whole operation in person. 

The troops dashed on, and gallantly carried the 
advance-trench; but here they were met by a 
perfect hailstorm of shot, shell, grape, and mus- 
ketry, the former delivered at point-blank range, 
from sixty-eight and thirty-two pounders. However, 
led by the gallant Colonel Pivas, the Argentines 
pushed on till they came to the abattis. This was 
composed of a mass of trees, their branches thickly 
entwined, and extending over a space of twenty-five 
yards in deptli ; inside this was a deep ditch half full 
of water. These obstacles it was found impossible to 
overcome. A terrible slaughter ensued, the troops, 
exposed to a fire from forty guns, were destroyed by 
hundreds. Colonel Eivas, the leader of the Argentine 
storming columns, was struck down early in the action ; 
while six chefs de hatalllon were killed, and eleven 
wounded. The Brazilians on the left and centre were 
suffering in an equally severe manner; still the gallant 
troops remained at the fatal abattis, trying to force a 
way through by cutting the branches, or setting fire 
to the trees, but all their efforts were in vain. The 
most heroic example was set by the leaders, but, ex- 
posed as they were to a dreadful fire of great guns 
and musketry, the latter from the garrison eight 
thousand strong, drawn up on the parapet, and keep- 
ing up a sustained fire, they at last drew off their 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 141 

shattered columns and retreated to Curuzu. The 
fleet withdrew at the same time. The allies lost, out 
of an attacking force of 18,000 men, 378 killed and 
1,447 wounded in the Brazilian divisions, and 290 
killed and 865 wounded in the Argentine, making 
a total of 668 killed, and 2,342 wounded. 

The news of this terrible repulse, coming so 
shortly after the victory at Curuzu, created a pro- 
found sensation. Mutual recriminations between 
the different leaders followed. It was said on 
the part of the Argentines that Greneral Polidoro 
had failed to support them, by creating a diversion 
at Tuyuty ; that the fleet did not force the stockade 
early enough, or take up a position where they could 
direct their fire with advantage. The feeling grew 
so violent, and the opinion of the public became so 
strong on the subject, that the Marquis of Caxias, a 
general of high standing, who had been at the head of 
the military commission lately held at Rio, on the new 
organization of the Brazilian army, was appointed com- 
mander of their land forces ; while Admiral Joaquim 
Ignacio, a gallant veteran, who had served under 
Lord Cochrane, was appointed to succeed Yicomte 
Tamandare in command of the fleet. Baron Port 
Alegre was superseded in command of his corps by 
General ArgoUo, and recalled to Rio to account for his 
share in the recent disaster ; but his explanation was 
considered so satisfactory by the emperor that he was 
immediately reinstated in his command. The gal- 
lant Marshal Osorio, who had now recovered from his 
wound, and had been made Baron Herval for his 



142 LA PLATA, AND 

services, was appointed to command a new corps 
d'armee, which was being raised in the province of 
E/io Grande, and was intended to carry out the 
project which was thought of at the commencement 
of the campaign, that of invading Paraguay by the 
Ytapua pass. 

The new chiefs joined their respective commands 
in December, 1866, and Admiral Ignacio, taking ad- 
vantage of the periodical rise in the river now com- 
mencing, made an attack on Curupaiti by its front, 
and also on its flank and rear, by pushing a division 
of small vessels and bombs into Lake Piris, which, 
owing to the rise in the river, was now navigable. 
These latter opened a heavy fire on the Paraguayan 
works, and did considerable damage ; while the iron- 
clads bombarded the fort in front. Under cover of 
this Admiral Ignacio was enabled to thoroughly re- 
connoitre the enemy's position, and towards evening, 
that object having been attained, the ships drew off. 
G-reat efforts were made to get one of the iron- 
clads into Lake Piris ; for, if it could have been 
accomplished, the Paraguayan works on their right 
flank would have been rendered untenable, the 
waters of the lake flowing right up to the intrench- 
ments, and enabling a ship to get very close. How- 
ever, it was found that the depth of the small stream 
which connected the lake with the river Paraguay 
was not sufficient to admit a heavy vessel ; and the 
small craft and boats which could get in were not 
built strongly enough to allow of close action with 
the enemy's batteries with any chance of success. 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 143 

Admiral Ignacio, having made himself acquainted 
with the strength of the enemy's position, and having 
been reinforced by the Colombo iron-clad casemate, 
lately arrived from England, was quite ready to avail 
himself of the high water in the river to advance on 
Humaita. But matters were not in an equally favour- 
able state in the allied camp : the army was not pre- 
pared to advance ; the late severe losses had seriously 
alarmed General Mitre, and his counsel was decidedly 
to await reinforcements from Brazil. The English 
Minister, in his despatch to Lord Stanley, writing 
from Buenos Ayres on this occasion about the inac- 
tivity of the allied land forces, says, " Whether this 
arises from the jealousy of President Mitre, or from 
a belief in the speedy exhaustion of the resources of 
Paraguay, I cannot say; but Senor Octaviano (the 
Brazilian minister) positively assures me that the 
allied army numbers 32,000 efficient men, and that 
the accounts brought in by various deserters of the 
forces of their opponents place them below 18,000." 
President Mitre now withdrew, with 4,000 Argentine 
troops, to quell a disturbance on the Indian frontier 
of the Confederation. 

During this inactivity of the army, the fleet gave 
the enemy ample occupation on their river defences. 
On the 8th of February, 1867, the iron-clads again 
bombarded Curupaiti, and finding the defence had 
sensibly slackened, a division under Captain Delphim, 
in the Balda, pushed on past the formidable works to 
within three miles of Humaita. The fleet was now 
divided, and Lopez, enraged at finding his batteries 



144 LA PLATA, AND 

were unable to stop tlie iron-clads, redoubled bis 
exertions to block up tbe river. Stockades and tor- 
pedoes were laid down in all directions, new batteries 
were erected, and all communication between tbe 
two Brazilian divisions effectually cut off by water. 
However, Ignacio soon establisbed a road tbrougb 
tbe Cbaco, and tbe advance squadron was supplied 
by land. 

Tbe energetic proceedings of Admiral Ignacio, 
and tbe gallantry displayed by tbe fleet, bad been 
tbe tbeme of universal admiration. Tbey bad taken 
advantage of tbe usual rise in tbe river, wbicb, as 
before mentioned, takes place between December and 
April, to force tbeir way past all obstacles rigbt up 
to tbe Paraguayan strongbold ; and tbere can be no 
doubt tbat if tbe army bad been bandied witb tbe 
same vigour in tbe early part of 1867 as it was in 
tbe following year at tbe same period, Admiral 
Ignacio could bave forced tbe passage of Humaita as 
easily tben as it was done twelve montbs later. 
However, unfortunately for tbe allied cause, jealousy 
existed in tbe camp. Tbe policy adopted by tbe 
Argentine government at tbis time bas been most 
severely criticised; tbe withdrawal of tbeir troops 
was a fatal blow to all forward movement, and tbe 
action of tbe Marquis of Caxias was paralyzed by 
tbe uncertain plans of Greneral Mitre. 

At a time wben a new general bad been appointed 
to command tbe Brazilian army, and a new admiral 
tbeir fleet, it was to be supposed tbe new blood would 
bave put life into tbe proceedings ; but tbe counsels 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 145 

of tlie Argentine president, wtio was present with tlie 
army, were against a forward movement, and shortly 
afterwards the withdrawal of his troops effectually 
stopped all advance for the present ; and, in effect, 
nothing of a decisive character was done until the 
following year ; the lucky moment had been allowed 
to pass. The Argentine troops were withdrawn to 
quell a disturbance ; but, as shortly afterwards 3,000 
men were raised in the provinces without any con- 
siderable difficulty, it is reasonable to suppose that, if 
their enrolment had been hastened a little, they could 
have put down the disturbance as easily as the 4,000 
veterans under Greneral Paunero, whose withdrawal 
prolonged a war which was costing Brazil about half 
a million a week. 

However much the Emperor Dom Pedro may have 
felt the lukewarmness of his allies at this period, he 
took care not to show.it, but strained every nerve to 
reinforce the army. In addition to the decree which 
he had lately issued, liberating the government 
slaves on their accepting service as soldiers, 8,000 
national guards were called out from all the pro- 
vinces except Para and Pio Grande, whose resources 
were already quite exhausted, and hurried on to the 
seat of war. Marshal Osorio's projected movement 
by Itapua and Candelaria was countermanded, and 
he received orders to join with his forces immediately 
at headquarters. This was effected by July, and 
he was at once pushed on, with his corps increased 
to 28,000 men, against the Paraguayan left flank: 
this was drawn back as he advanced until it 



146 LA PLATA, AND 

readied Las Eojas. Here it halted, and Osorio 
took up Hs position opposite, at a place called Tuyu- 
cnne, nine miles to the right front of the main body 
of the allies at Tuyuty. The two positions were at 
once placed in communication by road and telegraph, 
but one part passed dangerously close to the enemy's 
lines at Britt. General Mitre now rejoined, and re- 
sumed his post as commander-in-chief; and Marshal 
Caxias, leaving Baron Port Alegre with 12,000 men 
at Tuyuty, joined Osorio at Tuyucune, where, with 
28,000 men and forty guns, he was preparing to turn 
the enemy's left flank at Las Eojas. 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 147 



CHAPTEE IX. 

ADMIRAL IGNACIO ENGAGES THE FOKTS OF CURUPAITI — CAPTURE BY 
THE ALLIES OP PILAR AND TAYI — DESPERATE ATTACK BY PARA- 
GUAYAN CAVALRY UPON TUYUTY — ACCESSIONS TO THE BRAZILIAN 

NAVY — POSITION AND STRENGTH OF THE BATTERIES OF HUMAITA 

FORCING THE HUMAITA PASSAGE AND STORMING OF ESTABELCI- 

MENTO RETREAT OF LOPEZ — RUSE ON THE PART OF THE 

PARAGUAYANS — ABANDONMENT OF CURUPAITI — DEVOTION OF THE 
COUNTRY-PEOPLE TO THE CAUSE OF LOPEZ. 

The forward movement on the part of tHe army- 
was ably supported by the fleet. Directly Admiral 
Ignacio was informed of it, he ordered an advance 
and issued a spirited address to his men, which 
concluded with these words : *' Brazilians, be full 
of hope ! The patron saints assigned by the Holy 
Church to preside over the 15th of August are the 
Holy Virgin of glory, our Lady of Yictory, and the 
Assumption. Therefore it is with glory and victory 
that we go to Asuncion ! " 

On the morning of the 15th of August, the attack 
commenced by the wooden ships, under Commodore 
Silva in the Itaghy, with fourteen ships, steaming 
boldly up to the batteries at Curupaiti and opening fire. 
To this the Paraguayans vouchsafed no reply, but 
immediately the iron-clads came within range, 
thirty-five guns, principally 80- and 68-pounders, 
opened simultaneously. Ignacio led, in the Brazil, 

L 2 



148 LA PLATA, AND 

who had tlie Lindoya lashed alongside to assist her 
in turning. Next came the Mariz Barros, then the 
Tamandare, Colombo, Cahral, Barosso, Herval, Silvado, 
and the Lima Barros, with the broad pendant of 
Commodore Alvim, brought up the rear. The river 
Paraguay, in front of Curupaiti, has two channels, 
one on the Chaco side, the other close under the guns 
of the fortress. This latter channel is exceedingly 
narrow and winding. But the gallant Ignacio chose 
it as being the shortest road to Humaita. He, 
closely followed by the Mariz Barros, steamed 
directly for the enemy's works,* opening fire as his 
guns would bear. The Tamandare, close behind, 
now broke down, and was obliged to anchor under 
the Paraguayan batteries to avoid drifting on shore. 
Here she suffered severely ; her captain, Barbosa, and 
four men were wounded ; but the Siivado promptly 
taking her in tow, she was rescued from her perilous 
position. 

The accident to the Tamandare obliged the Co- 
Jonho, which was following astern, to stop her en- 
gines, in order to avoid fouling the former ship. 
This act immediately brought her broadside on to 
the strong current, and rendered her unmanageable, 
in which condition she drifted close to the Para- 
guayan works, which at once concentrated their 
fire on her, and did very serious damage before she 
could be backed out of her dangerous position. The 
Lima Barros, however, quickly steamed up and 
covered the disabled vessels, who dropped down 
with the stream to repair damages. In the mean- 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 149 

time, Ignacio, with the rest of the iron-clad squad, had 
pushed on past Curupaiti, and had joined Captain 
Delphim in the Bahia, who was engaging the out- 
works of Humaita. The cannonade continued until 
nightfall, when the two divisions withdrew out of 
gunshot from the respective fortresses, and an- 
chored. The Brazilian loss during this action 
amounted to thirty-thi^ee killed and wounded, all 
of which casualties occurred in the iron-clads. The 
wooden ships did not suffer any loss, as their attack 
was confined to the flanking batteries. The iron- 
clads, by taking the channel nearest to the enemy's 
works, had escaped a serious danger, in the numerous 
torj^edoes which were laid down in the other passage 
for their reception, and which were discovered some 
time afterwards. One that was examined consisted 
of an iron cylinder with several cases of powder in it. 
This was floated a short distance under water, by 
being attached to light demijohns on the surface. A 
pole secured to the cylinder, and projecting above 
the water, communicated at its lower end with some 
detonating composition, which ignited the powder on 
the pole being struck by an advancing ship. The 
apparatus was moored in its place by an anchor and 
cable, but the great strength of the current in the 
river rendered it extremely difficult to ensure these 
machines remaining in the required position long 
enough to be of any service ; and notwithstanding 
the great number of them used by the Paraguayans, 
few were successful in damaging the Brazilian ships. 
The season for the periodical fall in the river had 



150 LA PLATA, AJJD 

now arrived, and this year it appeared to "be un- 
usually low, causing the channels in the vicinity of 
Humaita, at all times shallow and tortuous, to be 
now quite impassable to ships like the Brazil, and 
the other large iron-clad s. Accordingly, Admiral 
Ignacio (now raised to the dignity of baron) decided 
on rejoining the main body of the fleet at Curu- 
paiti, and leaving Commodore Delphim in the Bahia, 
with a squad of the lightest draught iron-clads, off 
Humaita, where, although the communication would 
be cut off on water by the enemy's works along the 
banks of the river, between Curupaiti and the before- 
named fortress, yet the road on the Chaco side was 
now so much improved as to afford every facihty for 
the transport of stores and provisions ; enabling the 
advance- squad to hold their own without difficulty 
until the season for action again arrived. 

While the fleet was waiting for the river to rise, 
the land forces were vigorously pursuing their new 
movement to turn the Paraguayan left flank at Las 
Eojas. The great numerical superiority of the allies 
enabled them to detach the force necessary for the 
operation, without sensibly weakening their centre 
at Tuyuty ; and Greneral Mitre, now relieved from 
the fear of disturbance at home, having brought up 
three thousand fresh troops, the plan was definitely 
adopted of altering the scheme of the campaign, 
from any direct attack on Humaita, to a complete 
investment of that stronghold, and its reduction by 
regular siege. With this view, in the beginning of 
September, the allies, being now forty thousand strong. 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 151 

pushed forward a force of three thousand men, of 
which fifteen hundred were cavalry, under Greneral 
Nevas, who, making a complete circuit of the ene- 
my's lines by the left rear, attacked the village of 
Pilar, about five miles north of Humaita, on the 
banks of the river. Lopez, whose whole force 
only amounted to twenty thousand men, was quite 
unable to send any support to the small garrison in 
the village, and these, after a brave resistance, in 
which they lost two hundred killed and wounded, 
were obliged to retire on Humaita. Greneral Nevas, 
who was a distinguished cavalry officer, and had 
already done good service during the campaign, was 
now created Baron Triumpho. The capture of Pilar 
was immediately followed, on the arrival of reinforce- 
ments, by an attack on the position of Tayi, situated 
one mile nearer Humaita than Pilar, and on a part 
of the river's bank which commanded the channel to 
Asuncion. This was also carried, and batteries at 
once erected, and armed with rifled guns, effectually 
stopping the enemy's supplies from being brought 
down by water. 

While these movements were being effected on the 
left of the Paraguayan lines, a force was detached 
from Port Alegre's division at Tuyuty, to endeavour 
to force a way through the swamp and jungle on the 
Ohaco side of the river, and cut off the Paraguayan 
communications in that direction. Meanwhile, the 
forces of Lopez had not been idle. Everything that 
brave men could do had been done by that devoted 
band. They were now reduced to about twenty 



152 LA PLATA, AND 

thousand men of all arms, and were disposed along a 
line extending from Curupaiti roundby Britt, and 
Las Rojas, to Paso Poco, on tlie river above Humaita. 
The latter fortress was commanded by Colonel Ailen. 
Lopez was with the main body at Britt, opposite 
the Brazilians at Tuyuty, and Barrios at Las Rojas, 
in front of Osorio at Tuyucune and San Solano. 
The whole force was strongly intrenched, the para- 
pets being six feet high and the same in thickness, 
with ditches eighteen feet wide, and about the same 
in depth. Every available point was well armed 
with cannon, amply supplied with ammunition from 
the magazines of Humaita close in rear. The jDosi- 
tion was admirably adapted for taking advantage of 
the isolated condition of the different allied divisions. 
The communication between the Brazilian centre at 
Tuyuty, and the right at Tuyucune, was especially 
exposed, and was soon tmmed to account by the 
Paraguayan cavalry, who, after cutting off several 
convoys of provisions and stores, at last got so bold 
that on the 3rd of October, with a courage amount- 
ing to madness, they dashed into the allied field-works 
at San Solano, cutting down the gunners in the 
batteries, and, after careering through the encamp- 
ment, sabring right and left, they forced their way 
through the whole army at Tuyucune, and regained 
their own lines. These severe cavalry actions were 
followed up on the 3rd of November by a general 
attack on the allied centre at Tuyut}^ Here Baron 
Port Alegre was still posted, with twelve thousand 
men and thirty-four guns, strongly intrenched, and, 



THE WAK IX PARAGUAY. 153 

totally unsuspecting any advance on the part of the 
enemy, was quietly attending to the despatch of 
cnnvoys for the advance-posts on the right, with 
liis troops scattered over a large extent of country, 
guarding different points of the road. His outposts 
fronting the enemy were most injudiciously in charge 
of a brigade partly composed of Paraguayan prisoners 
and deserters, who had taken service with the allies. 

At 3.30 on the morning of the 3rd of October, a 
Paraguayan column, consisting of 6,500 infantry and 
1,500 cavalry, under Grenerals Barrios and Carvalho, 
burst on the allied lines, driving in the outposts, who 
fled on their approach, and overwhelming an Argen- 
tine division, who in vain tried to arrest their ad- 
vance. Three redoubts were taken, and the captured 
cannon sent back to Humaita. Papidly pushing on 
and driving the bewildered troops of Port Alegre 
before Lim, Barrios entered the allied camp and 
burnt the commissariat stores, destroying vast quan- 
tities of provisions and war material. The allied 
troops fled in the wildest disorder before the Para- 
guayan cavalry, who made great havoc in their ranks, 
until they reached the large redoubt in the rear, 
which had been built some time before, when the 
flank movement was first projected. 

Here Baron Port Alegre had hurriedly collected 
a few men, and, manning the works ; was able to give 
the broken ranks time to rally. Barrios now brought 
up his infantry to storm the works ; but the Brazilians 
and Argentines fought with the courage of despair, 
Baron Port Alegre killing with his own hand the 



154 LA PLATA, AND 

leader of the Paraguayan stormers, Colonel Castelli, 
wHle h.e was in the act of planting the Paraguayan 
flag on the summit of the redoubt. 

At last the news of the attack reached Marshal 
Caxias at Tuyucune. He immediately ordered out 
the whole army, and, placing himself at the head of 
the cavalry, galloped off to the scene of action. 
Meanwhile, Port Alegre, despairing of being able to 
hold the redoubt against the constant and desperate 
attacks of the enemy, was making arrangements to 
cut his way through the Paraguayan troops, and try 
and reach Tuyucune. At this moment, Caxias came 
up with the Brazilian cavalry, and at once charged 
the Paraguayans. This accession of comparatively 
fresh troops restored the day. Barrios hastily ordered 
a retreat, which, from the constantly increasing num- 
bers of his pursuers, was speedily changed into a rout, 
during which great numbers of his men fell by the 
lances of the Brazilian cavalry. He had previously 
detached a division under Ceneral Carvalho, to com- 
plete the destruction of the Brazilian camp. These 
troops, while firing the sutlers' stores, came on a 
quantity of liquor, and, being unable to resist the 
temptation, were soon beyond all ccmtrol. Great 
slaughter occurred here as the allied reinforcements 
came up. Carvalho, collecting the few who retained 
their senses, rode off; but the rest to a man were 
destroyed. Barrios, with the scattered remnant of 
his troops, at last regained his lines, after sustaining 
a loss of two thousand killed and wounded, seventy- 
two of whom were officers. The allies, in addition to 



THE WAR IN PAKAGUAY. 155 

the destruction of their camp and magazines, lost 
nine guns, and all the equipment of the batteries 
captured. They also lost a thousand officers and 
men, killed and badly wounded. 
■ This action, in which a force of Paraguayans had 
been able to attack, and completely rout a body of 
the allies twice their number, capture their cannon, 
burn their camp, and destroy the reserve stores of 
the whole army, was viewed with the greatest 
astonishment. It is impossible to understand what 
Greneral Port Alegre was about to allow such a sur- 
prise, and certainly the position of the Paraguayan 
legion at the advance-posts was a most serious mis- 
take. The ease with which the allied lines had been 
pierced at their most vital point showed the difficulty 
of maintaining such an extended line of attack (the 
distance from Tuyuty to Tuyucune was nine miles), 
and the general insecurity of the allied works. Gene- 
rals Mitre and Caxias felt most sensibly the imme- 
diate necessity for an advance, and a general contrac- 
tion of their lines round Humaita, so as to bring 
their posts within supporting distance of one another. 
The Brazilian fleet had now, from the arrival of 
successive reinforcements, assumed most formidable 
dimensions. Ever since it had been reported to the 
Brazilian Grovernment, by Admiral Tamandare, that 
a large number of iron-clads would be required to 
force the passage of Humaita and the other river 
defences, they had been untiring in their efibrts to 
produce a navy adapted to the style of warfare about 
to be introduced ; neither trouble nor expense was 



156 LA PLATA, AND 

spared. The different large ship -building firms of 
England and France received orders to prepare ships 
of the most approved form and armament, at any 
cost, and send them out as soon as possible to the 
seat of war. The imperial arsenals were worked 
night and day, building and completing for sea the 
vessels designed in Brazil, and the constant arrival of 
Iieavy rifled guns from England enabled them to be 
armed directly they were finished, and sent off to 
Paraguay. 

Amongst the most efficient of the iron-clad fleet 
were the Lima Biwros and the Bahia. These vessels 
were built by Messrs. Laird, of Birkenhead, and fitted 
on Captain Cole's principle, the former with two 
turrets, and the latter with one, each turret being 
armed with two 150-pounders (Whitworth's). The 
Lima Barros, which left England under the name of 
Bellona, is 1,340 tons burthen, and draws twelve feet 
of water. She is a twin screw, with engines of 
300-horse power, and made twelve knots at the 
measured mile, with all stores and armament on board. 
Both ships are plated with 4|-inch plates. The 
Bahia is 1,000 tons, and draws only eight feet of 
water ; she is also a twin screw, with engines of 140- 
horse-power, and made ten knots at the measured 
mile. They both made very good average passages 
from Liverpool to Rio, and were unaccompanied by 
any escort. Two others also which did good service 
were built by Messrs. Eennie, of Grreenwich, and 
were named the Colombo and Cabral. They were 
sister ships of a peculiar construction, designed es- 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 157 

pecially for the Paraguajan war, and of the follow- 
ing dimensions : length, 160 feet ; breadth, 35 feet 
6 inches ; draught of water, with stores and arma- 
ment on board, 9 feet 6 inches ; tonnage, 930 tons, , 
the engines, 200-horse power, direct action horizontal, 
driving twin screws. Each vessel was fitted with 
two batteries, one at each end, the space between 
being occupied by the officers' cabins, and accommo- 
dation for the crew. Their armament consisted of 
eight guns, 70-pounders, four in each battery, with 
a plating of 4i- inches of iron. The hull gradually 
sloped from the base of the battery to within one 
foot of the water's edge. This slope was plated 
with 2i inches of iron, and allowed the guns in the 
battery above a clear range ahead or astern. The 
whole of the ship's hull inside, below hatches, was 
devoted to magazines, store-rooms, and engine-room. 
Their extreme lowness in the water made it necessary 
to build a temporary bow and stern of wood, which, 
fitting closely round the batteries, enabled them to per- 
form the voyage across the Atlantic with perfect safety. 
These ships, with the rest of the fleet, were now 
ready to advance, and only waiting for the periodical 
rise of the river, which was shortly due, to commence 
operations. Admiral Baron Inhauma was with the 
main body at Curupaiti, while Commodore Delphim, 
with a squad of light-draught vessels, was between that 
fortress and Humaita. The combined force consisted 
of the following fourteen iron-clads, and nineteen 
wooden ships, carrying in all 143 guns, and manned 
by 3,603 seamen and marines : — 



158 



LA PLATA, AND 



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THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 



159 



WOODEN SHIPS. 



Name. 



Itagby (Commo- 
dore de Silva) . . , 

Beberibe 

Mage , 

Araquaby 

Mearim 

Iparanga 

Ita Jaby 

Iquaterry , 

Ayarey , 

Maracana 

H. Martens 

Greenbalgb 

Cbuey 

Indoya , 

Patria 

Onze de Julio 

Pedro Alfonse... 7 
Coimbra ) 



H. P. 



100 

130 
120 

100 
100 

70 
80 
80 
80 
80 
40 
40 
30 
80 
20 
40 



Draught, 



11 
11 



10 

74 
7* 



Bombs 



Men. 



137 

228 

227 

206 

118 

120 

140 

220 

105 

84 

83 

90 

60 

30 

20 

20 

60 



Guns. 



8 

7 

4 

5 

3 

2 

3 

3 

2 

2 

2. 

2 
1 13-in. 
mortar. 



These ships were distributed as follows. The 
wooden ships were at anchor below Curupaiti. 
Admiral Inhauma, with eight iron-clads, was at 
anchor ojff that fortress, keeping up an occasional 
fire, and Commodore Delphim, in the Bahia, with 
five other light- draught armoured ships, was between 
the main body and Humaita, the communication 
between the advance and centre squadrons being 
kept up by land on the Chaco side. It was now 
determined to force the passage of Humaita, directly 
the 'river was reported high enough for the ships to 
get through the channel. By this time, the Para- 



160 LA PLATA, AND 

guayans had concentrated all tlieir resources on the 
fortification of this important position. The first 
bend in the river was commanded by the London 
battery, flanked by several earthworks. When a 
ship had passed these, and while her stern would 
be exposed to the raking fire, she would suddenly 
open a large work on the Chaco side right ahead, 
and armed with 68- and 120-pounders. Supposing 
these difiiculties to have been surmounted, and 
the torpedoes to have been avoided, the next turn 
would bring her face to face with the main batteries 
of Humaita, armed with sixty-five pieces of cannon, 
and all advance barred by a huge cable, composed of 
seven chains laid up together, supported on barges 
across the river, one end secured to large baulks of 
timber sunk in the ground on the Chaco side, the 
other brought to a capstan through a tunnel leading 
into the Paraguayan batteries at Humaita. 

It was calculated that the time which would be 
occupied by the ships in arriving at this point, even 
supposing no accidents to occur, would be at least 
half an hour ; and it was afterwards found that 
the squad had been actually forty-two minutes in 
doing it. 

Admiral Inhauma rightly decided that, even if the 
chains were taut at low water, a sudden rise in the 
river of two or three fathoms, which commonly hap- 
pened at this season, would render them slack enough 
for vessels of light draught to pass over the bights 
between the barges. Accordingly, it was resolved 
to commence the attack with the beginning of the 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. ] 61 

rise, and adopt the same tactics wliicli had been so 
successful at Curupaiti the year before, — namely, 
selecting a chosen squadron of ships who were pretty 
safe to get through the channel, without fear of 
grounding or breaking down, and placing them 
under command of a dashing leader ; let them run 
the gauntlet of the enemy's batteries, while the main 
body endeavoured to distract the attention of their 
adversaries by a close and sustained bombardment. 
With this view Commodore Delphim, of the Bahia 
(son-in-law of the gallant Admiral Inhauma), was 
selected to lead the storming squadron, having under 
his orders j&ve other iron-clads, selected for their light 
draught and heavy armament. The attack was or- 
dered for the 19th of February. 

The army in the meantime had recovered the 
confusion consequent on the destruction of their 
magazines at Tuyuty, and were receiving constant 
reinforcements, which, pushed on by the unflagging 
exertions of the Brazilian government, enabled the 
allied generals to establish intermediate posts between 
their extended positions, and generally strengthen 
their lines. It was now decided, on hearing the 
report of Admiral Inhauma, of his readiness to 
advance, to make a simultaneous movement with 
the army, by attacking the Paraguayan position of 
Establecimento, an outwork of Humaita, through 
which Lopez drew his supplies from the country. 

Admiral Inhauma, having now been joined by 
three small monitors lately arrived from Eio, made 
the signal to weigh on the morning of the 19th, 

M 



162 LA PLATA, A>^D 

when the fleet, led by Commodore DelpLim, in his 
well-battered ship the Bahia (she had been through 
the whole war under the able guidance of her present 
chief), immediately steamed up the river towards the 
Paraguayan stronghold. The Bahia had the Alagons 
in tow ; after her came the Barosso towing the Bio 
Grande, and lastly the Tamandare with the Para. 
These vessels advanced slowly against the strong 
current, which now ran with great swiftness, in 
consequence of the rise in the river. Immediately 
the leading ship got within range of the London 
battery, the fire commenced. The iron-clads steamed 
gallantly on, and all went well until a shot cut the 
Alagoas's towing hawser. The tide swept her away 
in an instant, and the Admiral, fearing tliat she 
would not be able to stem the current (she was 
only 30-horse power) signalled her to anchor; but 
her gallant commander (Mauri ti), taking on himself 
the responsibility of disregarding the order, soon got 
his ship under command, and, although terribly 
knocked about, he succeeded in joining the fleet 
again. This delay threw the Tamandare and Para 
out, and, in consequence, the enemy, getting their 
range, handled them so severely that they were 
obliged to be grounded to avoid sinking. The others 
had, in the meanwhile, pushed on to the chain, 
which, as Admiral Inhauma had anticipated, was 
slack enough to allow his ships to pass over without 
waiting to cut it. By this fortunate accident the 
whole fleet were able to get through the passage, 
and above the guns of Humaita, in forty minutes. 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 163 

with a loss of only ten wounded. The Alagoas, 
being separated from the fleet by some distance, was 
now attacked by a cloud of Paraguayan boats, full 
of soldiers, who expected to be able to capture the 
little monitor with the greatest ease ; but, to their 
astonishment, on getting on her decks, they found 
everything strongly battened down, while from the 
tower on the centre of the deck there issued a rolling 
fire of musketry, which shot them down almost as 
fast as they showed themselves above her gunwale. 
They very quickly retired to their boats, and made 
for the shore, followed up by the little monitor, which, 
guided by the skilful hand of her chief, ran them 
down right and left, until they escaped into shallow 
water. 

At the same time that the fleet were attacking 
Humaita, Marshal Osorio, with his division, raised 
to 20,000 men, stormed the fort Establecimento. 
This work was surrounded by two deep ditches, 
and armed with fifteen pieces of cannon, with a 
garrison of 1,600 men. The Brazilians attacked on 
three sides, and soon overpowered the Paraguayans, 
who retreated on Humaita, with a loss of 500 killed 
and wounded, while the allies lost 600. 

The position of Lopez at Humaita was now 
almost desperate. The fleet, by their gallant passage 
of the forts, had effectually completed the river 
blockade, commenced in the occupation of Tayi by 
the troops ; and now the capture of Establecimento 
had stopped the entrance of supplies from the direc- 
tion of Asuncion. The Paraguayan army had been 

M 2 



164 



for some time partially dependent on the Chaco side 
of the river for obtaining suppHes. These were 
collected at Timbo, a fortified position opposite 
Humaita, and a short distance farther up the river, 
and ferried across to the Paraguayan lines by two 
steamers and a fleet of boats. This was soon stopped 
by the arrival of the Brazilian iron-clads, which bom- 
barded Timbo and sunk the steamers. The supplies 
now had to be conveyed by a circuitous route in- 
shore, out of range of the fire of the iron-clads, until 
opposite Humaita, where the fleet of boats still at 
the disposal of the garrison brought them across. 
A strong force of Port Alegre's division had been 
sent, some time before, to cut a path through the 
jungle of the Grran Chaco, with the object of stopping 
this traffic ; but the difficulties had hitherto proved 
insurmountable. However, Lopez now found the 
present supply of the Paraguayan army at Paso 
Poco was so precarious, and the daily accession 
of force in the allied camp so great, that it 
would be impossible to hold his present position 
much longer; so, leaving G-eneral Barrios with a 
small rear-guard, in addition to the garrison of 
Humaita, still 3,000 strong, to keep up appearances 
and deceive the allies as long as possible, he with- 
drew silently, with the main body of his army, to 
a position on the river Tibicuary, near its junction 
with the river Paraguay. Here he commenced 
throwing up intrenchments on every available point, 
which were immediately armed with the heavy guns 
brought from the lines at Paso Poco, and every 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 165 

precaution was adopted to prepare a formidable re- 
sistance to the allies when they approached. But the 
latter, deceived by the show of strength made by 
Greneral Barrios, who mounted wooden guns in the 
embrasures, and paraded his scanty forces as much 
as possible, allowed a considerable time to elapse 
before they discovered this retrograde movement, 
and gave Lopez ample time to complete his arrange- 
ments. But at last the allied generals, having ob- 
tained information from various sources (amongst 
others by means of a balloon) of the fact of Lopez's 
retreat, ordered a reconnoissance of the whole army. 
On the 21st of March, Greneral ArgoUo advanced 
from Tuyuty on Britt, Osorio from Tuyucune oii 
Las Eojas, while Yictorino bombarded Paso Poco 
from his advance posts at Tayi. This movement 
was everywhere successful, notwithstanding a stout 
resistance from the gallant Paraguayans, who, after 
retarding their adversaries as much as possible, re- 
tired to their inner lines of defence at Humaita. 
While these several operations were going on on land. 
Admiral Inhauma was lying off Curupaiti with the 
following eight iron-clads: Brazil (11), Colombo (8), 
Silvado (8), Mariz Barros (4), Herval (4), Lima Barros 
(4), Cabral (8), Piabtj (1). 

On the morning of the 2nd of March, this squadron 
was attacked by a fleet of Paraguayan boats, forty- 
eight in number, lashed in pairs, and divided into 
eight divisions, full of troops. They were all skil- 
fully covered with boughs of trees, giving them the 
appearance of floating islands, and approached in 



166 LA PLATA, AND 

the grey of tlie morning quite unnoticed, dropping 
down with the current. They arrived abreast of 
the guard-boat before any alarm was given, and the 
next moment were alongside the Lima Barros and 
Cabral^ the two leading ships. The crews of these 
vessels were quite unprepared, and lost a number of 
men before they could get under cover of their turrets 
and casemates. But the other ships, who had steam 
ready, rapidly came up, and, after a desperate com- 
bat, in which the Paraguayans lost 200 killed and 
wounded and thirteen prisoners, and the Brazilians 
thirty-two killed and wounded, the former retreated 
in the greatest disorder, some swimming, and others 
in the boats that had survived the shock of the iron- 
clads' bows. 

Meanwhile the squadron of six iron-clads, under 
Commodore Delphim (now Baron Passagem), had 
gained undisputed command of the river from above 
Humaita to Asuncion. The latter city had been 
reconnoitred ; and although the ships were fired on, 
it was not believed to have any considerable garrison. 
The Paraguayans now abandoned Curupaiti, which 
was immediately entered by the allied troops, who 
at once occupied the inner Paraguayan lines, which 
extended from Curupaiti to Paso Poco. Heavy 
batteries were established, and an almost constant 
bombardment kept up on the beleaguered fortress, 
where Colonel Ailen and his garrison, three thousand 
strong, gallantly held out. Their communication 
with Lopez was entirely cut off, except by means of 
couriers, who succeeded sometimes in evading the 



THE WAH IX PARAGUAY. 167 

Brazilian pickets by swimming a lagoon ; wliile on 
the Ohaco side the fleet and troops stationed there 
prevented any supplies reaching the besieged from 
that quarter. 

The obstinate resistance of Humaita, however, 
checked the allies from advancing on the new Para- 
guayan position at the Tibicuary, and gave Lopez 
time to improve his condition in that quarter. The 
inhabitants at this time showed great devotion to his 
cause. All the available male population of Paraguay 
had long since been put under arms ; now the women 
came forward and oflPered their services, which were 
accepted, and a camp was formed, composed ex- 
clusively of women, at San Fernando, three miles 
from the Tibicuary. Here they shortly afterwards 
took part in an action between a force of six thousand 
Brazilian troops, which had been sent to reconnoitre, 
and the Paraguayan forces at the lines of the Tibi- 
cuary. On this occasion Greneral Caxias had dispatched 
the before-mentioned force, which consisted princi- 
pally of cavalry, to ascertain where the best fords 
were for crossing the river Tibicuary, and also the 
Jacare, a tributary of the former stream. Here they 
were skilfully drawn into an ambush by the Para- 
guayan leader, who, adopting the well-known strata- 
gem of feigning to retreat, drew the Brazilians after 
him, until they found themselves suddenly assailed 
in flank and rear by a superior force, who drove them 
back to their own lines with severe loss. It was 
remarked that a regiment of *'soldadas," or female 
troops, took part in this action on the Paraguayan side. 



168 LA PLATA, AND 



CHAPTEE X. 

GALLANT EEPXJLSE OF AN ASSAL'LT UPON HUMAITA — ITS EVACUATION 

AND SURRENDER OF ITS GARRISON — CONDUCT OF LOPEZ STRENGTH 

OF ALLIED FORCES — PLAN OF OPERATIONS — ABANDONMENT OF 
TIMBO BY THE PARAGUAYANS — ADVANCE OF THE ALLIED FORCES 
UPON ASUNCION — ESCAPE OF LOPEZ TO CERO LEON — OFFICIAL 
DECLARATION OF END OP CAMPAIGN — REVIEW, AND REFLECTIONS 
THEREON. 

HuMAiTA had now sustained a constant and close 
bombardment, both by land and water, for four 
months. Several projects had been submitted to 
Marshal Caxias in favour of an assault, but he had 
so far preferred to adhere to his original policy of 
reducing the place by famine. However, on the 
16th of July, he was induced to depart from this 
opinion by a report from the fleet that the garrison 
were retreating from Humaita to the Chaco, boats 
full of men having been seen going across the river. 
In consequence, orders were given to assault at day- 
light, after a severe cannonade all night. Marshal 
Osorio was to direct the operation with his corps 
cfarmee, closely supported by the second corps 
and an Argentine division. Yiscount Caxias, with 
a reserve of infantry and a cavahy division, 
would remain ready to sustain the attack. The 
Paraguayan Grovernor of Humaita now observing 
these preparations, immediately stopped all arrange- 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 169 

ments for the evacuation of the fortress (which in 
reality had been determined on), and made ready to 
receive the assault. At daylight (after a heavy fire 
had been kept up on the position all night), Osorio 
advanced at the head of his corps, ten thousand strong, 
expecting to find the Paraguayans in full retreat ; 
but instead of that he was received with a tremendous 
fire of great guns and musketry, issuing from the 
works on all sides, while the large body of troops 
drawn up to arrest his progress showed that the 
garrison were quite prepared for the assault. 

This unexpected check made it necessary to send 
for reinforcements ; but immediately Yiscount Oaxias 
heard that the enemy were in force, a retreat was 
ordered, and the gallant Osorio, much chagrined, 
moved his men slowly to the rear with colours flying, 
amidst a decimating fire from the Paraguayan bat- 
teries, which cost him in a very short space of time 
six hundred officers and men hors de combat. 

While Humaita was thus showing the allied gene- 
rals how little its capture depended on force of arms, 
famine was slowly doing its work. The expedi- 
tionary force on the Grran Chaco side of the river, which 
had for some time been trying to cut a path through 
the forests and swamps which line the river in that 
direction, had now effected a landing on a point just 
below, and out of gun-shot of Humaita. Here, on 
the 30th of April, a brigade of Argentines under 
General Rivas, twelve hundred strong, commenced 
working their way through the dense jungle towards 
the road which communicated with the Paraguayan 



170 LA PLATA, AXD 

position of Timbo, and along which the only supplies 
that could reach Humaita were conveyed. After two 
days' hard work they struck the road, and at once 
established field-works, sending out reconnoitring 
parties in the direction of the enemy. 

On the 1st of May, having been joined by a 
Brazilian division of infantry under General Falco, 
two thousand strong, the whole force moved along the 
margin of the river, supported by a squadron of ships 
under Baron Passagem, in the Bahia, and very shortly 
after encountered the Paraguayan troops hastily 
advancing from Timbo, to preserve their communica- 
tions ; but the front attack by the troops, aided by 
grape and canister from the iron-clads on their flank, 
proved too strong for them, and notwithstanding 
three desperate attacks, by the evening of the 3rd 
the allies were firmly established on the Timbo road, 
efiectually cutting off the last hope of the Paraguayan 
stronghold. The garrison, now reduced to the last 
extremity, nevertheless showed the most undaunted 
spirit. Their Grovernor was badly wounded, but the 
next in command. Colonel Rodriquez, gallantly con- 
ducted the defence. 

On the 18th of July, the Argentine division, 
under General Rivas, in attacking a Paraguayan 
outwork, suffered a disastrous repulse, in which they 
lost the whole of their advance column, including 
the officer in command, who was taken jDrisoner. 
But nothing could now save the fortress ; their food 
was exhausted, and all prospect of the siege being 
raised by Lopez was entirely out of the question ; in 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 171 

fact, he had given the Grovernor directions to en- 
deavour to retire on Timbo at the first opportunity. 
Accordingly, on the night of the 26th of July, 1868, 
having previously disabled the works, by throwing the 
guns into the river, and preparing trains to the maga- 
zines, the garrison silently withdrew in boats across 
the river, to a neck of land on the Ohaco side. From 
here their leader and two thousand men succeeded in 
reaching Timbo, but the remainder, hemmed in on all 
sides, and exposed to a heavy fire from the Brazilian 
fleet, were, after bravely resisting several severe 
attacks made on them by the allied troops, compelled 
to surrender, and on the 6th of August they laid down 
their arms. Their numbers were now reduced to 95 
ofiicers, and 1,325 men ; but these, with 250 pieces of 
cannon, and immense quantities of stores and am- 
munition, formed the trophies of the victors. 

The whole line of defence at Humaita extended 
over a space of seven and a half miles ; within this 
area were included barracks, a church, and the 
General's house, and three lines of works. In the 
Greneral's house, a conspicuous building near the 
church, Lopez communicated to his assembled ofiicers 
the news of the fall of Uruguayana, which occurred 
early in the war. This intelligence was received by 
them in mute silence, whereupon he fell into a great 
rage, abusing them in no measured terms, and finish- 
ing by kicking them all out of the room, saying, that 
when any calamity befell the father of a family, it was 
the duty of his children to show some sign of sorrow. 
An officer who had been present, and who now 



172 LA PLATA, AND 

related tlie story, added witli great ingenuousness : 
"After all, he was right, as it was a great omission 
on our parts not to express our condolence." 

On entering the fortress, the allies found guns, 
stores, ammunition, muskets, and accoutrements lying 
about in the wildest confusion. The magazines had 
not been fired, the retreat having evidently been 
hurried at the last moment, but a quantity of loose 
powder was lying about prepared for firing the 
stores. 

The London battery was a casemate with sixteen 
embrasures, pointing on the river ; only one gun was 
found in it, a breech-loader, which had been burst on 
the evacuation of the forts. Near the northern ex- 
tremity of the works was found the large gun east at 
the Paraguayan arsenal at Asuncion, in 1867 ; it fired 
10-inch spherical solid shot of 150 pounds in weight, 
numbers of which were by its side. The gun had been 
thrown over the clrff, and was partly in the water. 

The news of the fall of Humaita, following im- 
mediately as it did after Osorio's disastrous repulse, 
was received with great satisfaction. One of the 
two objects of the war had been gained, namely, 
the opening of the river Paraguay to free navi- 
gation, and the destruction of Humaita. Now the 
other no less important point (the capture of 
Lopez) had to be accomplished. Nothing short 
of this would satisfy the Emperor of Brazil. It was 
well known that the singular and despotic govern- 
ment to which the inhabitants of Paraguay had for 
so long been subjected rendered it impossible to open 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 173 

their eyes to the advantages of a civilized govern- 
ment, so long as their chief, whom they were ac- 
customed to view with almost reverential awe, was at 
large. 

Several of the larger powers now interfered through 
their diplomatic agents, with the hope of being able 
to stop further bloodshed, and bring about an ad- 
justment of affairs. America was particularly ener- 
getic. Her minister, Mr. "Washburn, who had on 
several occasions unsuccessfully attempted to reach 
the Paraguayan capital, now achieved his object ; but 
such was the ferocity and suspicion of the Paraguayan 
chief's temper, that the minister was speedily accused 
of trying to raise a conspiracy in the capital, and 
narrowly escaped with his liberty, on board a ship 
lying at anchor near. His successor, the present 
envoy. General MacMahon, who, after some diffi- 
culty succeeded in gaining personal communication 
with Lopez, has been in his hands ever since, and 
for a considerable time was, it is believed, cut 
off from all intercourse with his own government. 
Amongst other eminent foreigners who were unfor- 
tunate enough to fall into the hands of Lopez at this 
time, was Senor Carreras, an eminent Oriental diplo- 
matist, who had some time before been in the Monte 
Yidean cabinet as foreign minister. He was now 
accused of fomenting disturbances in Paraguay, and 
seized by order of the Paraguayan chief (while in the 
house occupied by the American minister at Asun- 
cion), was hurried ofPto the camp, when, after being 
tortured, he, his private secretary, and servant were 



174 LA PLATA, AND 

shot. The suspicious temper of Lopez grew so out- 
rageously violent at this time as to induce him to 
imprison his two younger brothers, and put their 
servants to death. 

The allies under command of Marshal Caxias now 
showed an effective strength of 40,125 of aU arms, 
as follows : — 

Brazilians. Argentines. 
Staff . . . 3,963 
Line . . . 28.229 7,933 



32,192 + 7,933 = 40,125 

In addition to these there were 10,806 sick and in 
hospital. The total number of men sent from Bra- 
zil to Paraguay during the war, up to the capture 
of Humaita, amounted to 84,219 men ; while the 
deaths from various causes were estimated by the 
minister of war to have been 10,229 during the same 
period. The march on Asuncion (the Paraguayan 
capital) now commenced. Caxas divided his troops 
as follows : two columns each, 14,000 strong mar- 
ched by Pilar ; these, under command of Osorio, 
were intended to attack the Paraguayan lines 
on the Tibicuary. General Eivas, with his corps 
increased to 6,000, was to continue on the Chaco 
side of the river, and advance through Timbo, 
so as to operate on the enemy's right flank; the 
general plan of the several movements being to 
turn the Paraguayan right flank, which rested on the 
river, and by the assistance of the fleet drive the 
forces off the road to Asuncion, while the main body 



THE WAH IN PAUAGUAY. 175 

of the allies advanced steadily in front. The fortress 
of Humaita was left in charge of Greneral Argollo, 
with 2,000 Argentines, who had directions to destroy 
the river batteries, but retain the land defences as a 
new base of operations for the army. The reserve 
stores, which had until now been kept at Itapiru, 
were now brought up ; and Admiral Inhauma (now 
Viscount, in consideration of his late brilliant ser- 
vices) having speedily removed the chain-boom across 
the river at Humaita, and also the various other 
obstructions placed in different positions of the chan- 
nel, a free navigation was opened to all vessels. 
Transports, foreign men-of-war, and "merchant ves- 
sels soon came flocking up, eagerly availing them- 
selves of the increased facility for communicating 
with the allied armies. 

The forward movement commenced on the 22nd 
of August, the Paraguayans abandoning Timbo as 
the allies advanced. On the 26th the Paraguayan 
outposts on the Jacare (a small stream running into 
the Tibicuary) were driven in, and the allies, rapidly 
pushing on, stormed an advanced redoubt oq the 
Tibicuary itself, at the same time that the fleet bom- 
barded the Paragut'^an lines on their right, while 
Rivas and his corps advanced as rapidly as possible on 
the Chaco bank. Lopez immediately fell back before 
this vigorous attack, and took up a fresh position 
at Yilleta, about eighteen miles from Asuncion. 
Here he again intrenched himself, with his whole 
army, now reinforced by the Timbo garrison to 
15,000 men. The allies, after destroying the Tibi- 



176 LA PLATA, AXD 

cuaiy lines, again advancing in the same order as 
before, passed througli the Paraguayan town of Yilla 
Franca, and on the 22nd of September arrived op- 
posite the enemy's outposts at Yilleta. ' The Para- 
guayan position was covered in front by several lakes 
and swamps, while the flanks were secured by dense 
woods, causing the allied generals to halt at a dis- 
tance of five miles from the main lines ; while the 
fleet, which had closely followed the movements of 
the army, found themselves stopped by the enemy's 
batteries on the Angostura Pass, situated near the 
Paraguayan right flank. 

On the 23rd the Brazilian vanguard advanced on 
the enemy at the Piquiciri Bridge, and after some 
severe fighting forced them to retire, but were unable 
to retain their advantage, in consequence of Lopez 
having inundated the country in the vicinity, by 
opening some sluices prepared beforehand. 

On the 1st of October, Marshal Caxias ordered a 
reconnoissance in force, and early on that day twenty 
thousand men advanced under Marshal Osorio, hav- 
ing under his orders Greneral Gruimares. . The troops 
advanced across the Piquiciri, and divided into two 
columns. Ouimares on the left stormed and carried 
a redoubt, while the fleet, under Baron Passagem, 
pushed on and attacked the forts of Angostura, 
which after a severe action were passed, one of 
the iron-clads having been badly hit by several 
150-pound shot. The movement on land was 
not carried beyond the outer lines of the Para- 
guayan intrenchments, and in the afternoon the 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 177 

troops withdrew to their own encampment. The 
result of this observation of the enemy's works was 
that Yiscount Caxias resolved to defer any front 
attack until the troops under Bivas, on the Chaco 
side, were more advanced on the Paraguayan flank. 
The force in this direction was now strengthened to 
twelve thousand men, and placed under command 
of Greneral ArgoUo. These vigorously worked their 
way through swamp and jungle until, on the 24th 
of October, after great exertions, they succeeded in 
effecting a junction with the fleet at the pass of San 
Antonio, on the right rear of the Paraguayan army. 
Immediately this movement was completed, prepara- 
tions were made for a general assault ; but Lopez 
was in no condition to resist the attack of fifty 
thousand men advancing on his front, flank, and rear ; 
so, after destroying his lines at Yiletta, he retired by 
his left (away from the river) to the mountain fast- 
nesses of the Cerro Leon, driving the inhabitants of 
the different villages before him. 

The hills of the Cerro Leon are a range situated 
about twenty leagues north-east of Asuncion, and 
here Lopez could maintain a desultory warfare as 
long as his men remained faithful to him. The road 
to Asuncion was now clear to the allies. Argollo's 
corps, advancing without opposition, were ferried 
across by the fleet, and entered the Paraguayan 
capital at the same time as Caxias, with the main 
body, approached by the road from Yiletta. The 
rejoicings on the termination of this arduous cam- 
paign were much damped by the escape of Lopez 



178 LA PLATA, AND 

and tlie remnant of his army ; for, with followers so 
devoted there was no knowing what he might not 
accomplish ; however, it could be but a question of 
time and perseverance on the part of the allies, for 
all intercourse was cut off from the outer world, and 
the supply of ammunition in the Paraguayan camp 
had for some time been short. 

The campaign was now (November, 1868) officially 
declared to be over. Marshals Caxias and Osorio, 
with Admiral Inhauma, who had fought side by side 
during this long and arduous war, retired from their 
respective commands, and returned to Eio Janeiro, 
where they were received with the distinction due 
to tlieir gallant services. Inhauma and Osorio were 
created viscounts, while Caxias was honoured with a 
special and solemn audience by the Emperor, who 
conferred on him the title of duke, and presented 
him with a gold medal, for personal valour shown at 
the battles of Establecimento, Tuyuty, and Eojas. 
Greneral ArgoUo, whose flank march through the 
jungle had contributed so much to the final successes 
of the alKed armies, was created Yiscount Itaparica. 
The gallant Inhauma had relinquished command to 
his son-in-law. Baron Passagem. The veteran chief, 
who had so long and so ably commanded the fleet, 
having efi'ectually removed from them the rejDroach 
of " always being behind the army " — who had suc- 
cessively stormed all the Paraguayan strongholds on 
the river, engaging them over and over again, until 
their walls crumbled under his fire — was now pros- 
trated by the fatigue attendant on such a protracted 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 179 

and arduous service. He had received all the 
honours his country could bestow, but did not live 
long enough to enjoy them, gradually sinking until 
the following March, when he died. 

The military governorship of Asuncion had been 
left in the hands of Greneral Souza, but now the 
Emperor appointed his son-in-law, the Comt d'Eu, 
to command the . army of Paraguay, with Greneral 
Polidoro as second. These oflB.cers left for Asuncion 
on the 30th of March, 1869, with full instructions to 
regulate the military affairs of the country; while 
Senor Parhanos, minister of foreign affairs, accom- 
panied them to preside over a commission assembled 
to determine on the new form of government for 
Paraguay. 

On reviewing the events of the Brazilian cam- 
paign in Paraguay, so far as they are connected with 
the naval operations, we cannot fail to notice the 
apparent difficulty experienced by the officers in 
manoeuvring their fine iron-clad squadron. The 
ships had been designed by the most eminent naval 
architects of England and France, according to the 
latest and most approved models; neither trouble 
nor expense was spared in their fitting and arma- 
ment, and their crews were composed of the picked 
men of the Brazilian navy, who had on all occasions 
shown the most conspicuous gallantry. Yet with all 
these advantages a want of confidence in their power 
has been plainly observed, and shows at once the 
vital necessity of having a large practical knowledge 

N 2 



180 LA PLATA, AA^D 

at command, in order to develop tlie capabilities of 
the ships of the present day. The dash and energy 
of the Brazilian fleet were paralyzed by a want of 
experience in the powers really inherent in the ships. 
The reasons assigned by the Brazilian admiral for 
not advancing in the early part of the campaign 
are in no way connected with doubts as to the pro- 
bability of being able to overpower the fire of the 
enemy's batteries, but refer more particularly to the 
awkward size of the ships, the imperfections of their 
steering apparatus, and their draught of water ; all of 
which objections may be very reasonably attributed 
to want of practice in handling vessels of that par- 
iicular description, and a knowledge of the variety 
of new openings they have afibrded to naval opera- 
tions. Certainly the Brazilians had some excuse for 
showing an absence of skill at the beginning of the 
campaign, in the fact of their not having possessed 
an iron-clad navy before the war commenced, which 
prevented the officers acquiring that facility in han- 
dling their ships which they otherwise would have 
done. But we may now look at the question as far 
as it applies to ourselves, and ask how many officers 
in Her Majesty's navy are there who could, or who 
have had an opportunity of learning how to, manage 
one of the modern iron-clads in a narrow river with 
a strong current running, and, while keeping under 
weigh in company with several other ships in close 
proximity, engage an enemy's battery with confi- 
dence ? Few have been able to study that class of 
evolution, for our naval tactics appear to have been 



i 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 181 

arranged for the requirements of ocean warfare, to 
the exclusion of river and close harbour exigencies, 
where a captain would be called on to run his ship 
into a position only to be maintained by great skill 
and special knowledge in the management of a ship 
in a confined space ; yet the latter mode of engaging 
may be found to be of great value, and as commonly 
necessary as the former in a future war. 

On the Paraguayan side the modern application 
of the torpedo was largely used during the war. 
The president of the republic had organized a staff 
of engineers, composed principally of Europeans ; 
these were employed in the cannon foundry and 
arsenal at Asuncion, and also at the iron mines and 
works of Ibicuy. They were amply supplied with 
proper material for manufacturing warlike imple- 
ments, and had, by order of Lopez, carefully pre- 
pared a large number of torpedoes, which at the 
commencement of the war were handed over to the 
naval authorities for application ; and these on their 
part did all that courage and devotion to the service 
could achieve. On one occasion a Paraguayan sailor 
was found entangled and drowned under the screw 
of one of the Brazilian iron-clads, who, from his 
position and the rope he had with him, must have 
been trying to secure a torpedo by diving, when he 
lost his life. The torpedo was observed floating some 
distance astern: so it was evident that something 
more than courage was wanting ; for, notwithstand- 
ing the large number of torpedoes used by the 
Paraguayans during the three years the Brazilian 



182 LA PLATA, AXD 

sMps were in Paraguayan waters, only one was suc- 
cessfully exploded ; yet the application of electricity 
was well understood in the camp, their army having 
been supplied with a field telegraph arranged for a 
distance of five leagues. 

Here again we see a valuable modern instrument 
of warfare rendered comparatively useless by a want 
of knowledge in its application ; and we may ask 
ourselves how many of us are there who would know 
how to pick up a torpedo without getting blown to 
atoms, like the lieutenant of the Brazilian ship 
Iraquay^ who was destroyed with a boat's crew of 
seven men in grappling one he was sent to secure — 
much less know how to place one so as to stop an 
advancing enemy; yet it is a service we are very 
likely to be called on to perform ; and of all the con- 
trivances for acting against torpedoes which were 
submitted to the Brazilian admiral, he considered 
none to be so efi'ective as the simple one of a boat 
with an intelligent crew. 

The arrangements for boarding and repelling 
boarders received considerable development during 
the river operations. The Paraguayan navy was so 
small and so totally unequal to the task of combat- 
ing the Brazilians, ship to ship, that the Paraguayan 
sailors early directed their attention to boarding, and 
on several occasions were very successful. At the battle 
of Piachuelo, the Paranahyha, a Brazilian corvette, 
was carried by boarding, and her colours hauled down ; 
but, being surrounded on all sides by fresh enemies, 
the Paraguayans were unable to preserve their prize, 



THE WAR lis' PARAGUAY. 183 

and shortly afterwards she was recaptured by the 
Brazilians. But the turret-ships effectually defied 
all the efforts of the Paraguayans, notwithstanding 
the desperate gallantry with which they were made, 
and the large number of men brought to the attack. 
At the passage of the forts of Humaita, in February, 
1868, the little single turret Aiagoas, with a crew of 
only thirty men, was boarded by a squadron of Para- 
guayan boats full of troops, at a time when she was 
quite separated from her consorts, who were them- 
selves hotly engaged with the enemy. The boats 
came on with great confidence, expecting to make an 
easy capture of the little vessel; but the crew, care- 
fully battening down hatchways and skylights, and 
closing all apertures except the ports, retired to their 
turret, and received their assailants with such a warm 
fire that they were beaten off with severe loss to their 
boats, and retreated in great confusion, followed up 
by the Aiagoas, which ran them down right and leit 
until they escaped into shallow water. 

Again, in the case of the Cabral, an iron-clad end 
battery, which had not, like the Aiagoas, time for pre- 
paration. She was lying at anchor off Curupaiti 
with the fleet, under Admiral Ignacio, and happened 
to be the headmost ship of the line, when the enemy 
came down in strong force, and boarded her, just 
before daybreak. The Paraguayans deceived the 
guard-boats by covering themselves with branches 
of trees, arranged so as to resemble floating islands, 
and, dashing alongside the headmost ships, cut 
down their crews as they started from sleep ; but the 



184 LA PLATA, AND 

arrangements for resisting boarders were so com- 
plete, and tlie arms and ammunition so close at hand, 
that a very few seconds sufficed to enable the men to 
rally at theii' posts, and arrest the progress of the 
enemy. The CahraJ, being fitted with a battery at 
each end, was able to get the enemy between two 
fires. They in vain tried to storm the defences ; 
there was no opening ; and at last, the physical diffi- 
culties being found insurmountable, they retired to 
their boats, where, being met by the rest of the 
Brazilian ships coming to the assistance of the 
advance-guard, they were diiven ofi" with great 
slaughter, numbers of boats, full of men, being sunk 
by the ii^on-clads running them down. 

Here we see an overwhelming number of men, 
brave to desperation (it is said the Paraguayan 
boarders frequently jumped overboard with their ad- 
versaries in the mortal struggle, and clung to them 
until both were drowned), completely defeated by a 
small crew, who had no time to make any prepara- 
tion for defence beyond the established fittings of the 
ship, which Were ready at hand. No mention is 
made of tmusual precision or strength of fire ; 
nothing is said about manual superiority in the hand- 
to-hand combat. The success was due to the perma- 
nent obstructions placed in the enemy's way, which 
it was found impossible to surmount ; and although 
a part of the deck was gained, yet the crew held pos- 
session of the important points, and while they could 
keep up a heavy fire on the enemy, and efi'ectually 
prevent any attempts at moving the ship, they them- 



THE WAR IX PARAGUAY. 185 

selves were perfectly safe behind their casemate. The 
most successful weapon of ofPence used hj the Para- 
guayans in their boarding expeditions appears to 
have been the hand-grenade, which frecjuentlj did 
considerable damage, when thrown down funnels, 
ventilators, &c. ; but latterly the excellent state of 
preparation in which the Brazilian ships were kept 
was so well known to the Paraguayans that they 
gave up all attempts at boarding as hopeless. 

The experience gained by the Brazilian officers 
during their protracted campaign on the subject of 
" river warfare with iron-clads " would prove most 
instructive. For a considerable time the fleet was 
lying at anchor, actually in the centre of the ad- 
versary's position, and within a few hundred yards 
of his outposts ; this, too, in a narrow stream, sur- 
rounded on all sides by an active and enterprising 
enemy well provided with all the modern instru- 
ments of warfare ; a situation imperatively demand- 
ing a permanent system of defence against boarding 
attacks, and not simply an arrangement which left 
all to the individual bravery of the crew. In fact, 
the position of the Brazilian fleet was well calculated 
to develop expedients of all kinds connected with 
river service, and it is to be hoped the dearly-bought 
experience will not be lost or forgotten. The ad- 
vance-squadron, under Baron Passagem in the Bahia, 
acquired great skill and confidence in their move- 
ments, throwing themselves as it were into the 
midst of the enemy's works ; and the high state of 
efficiency these ships arrived at in their arrangements 



186 LA PLATA, A^^D 

for repelling boarders is no doubt due to the ab- 
solute necessity they were under of having a well- 
concerted system of defence, including strong and 
permanent rallying-points. 

We may very fairly take a lesson from this our- 
selves, for although, no doubt, should a squadron of 
our ships be placed in a similar situation, some 
scheme would be rapidly organized and ordered for 
general use, still at present there is a considerable 
disposition to trust, like the Paraguayans, to physical 
strength and courage, without waiting to reflect 
whether force will ever be able to dispense with 
science. Certainly, if it ever could have done so, one 
would have supposed the devoted followers of Lopez 
deserved to be successful. 

The moral of all this (a deduction from which 
has been attempted) is that it is bad policy for a 
country having any pretensions to, or intention of 
using, a military force to wait for the commence- 
ment of hostilities before preparing for battle. The 
fact is obvious enough, yet the mistake is com- 
monly made, and not always by powers like Brazil 
only. But Brazil had an excuse. Being compara- 
tively a new country, with incomplete organizations, 
it was impossible for the government to prepare for 
war on a large scale (no matter however clearly 
they may have foreseen the necessity) until the 
public mind was thoroughly roused to consider 
the matter in the same light as themselves. The 
merchants and other wealthy people could not be 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 187 

persuaded of tlie coming storm until it actually 
burst on them ; and consequently a war wtiich, with 
its attendant expenses and terrible loss of life, might 
have been brought to a close in one year, if the re- 
sources of the empire had been promptly used, has, 
instead, been allowed to extend over a period of four ; 
and even now the termination is anything but satis- 
factory or certain. 



188 



CHAPTEE XI. 

DEPARTURE FROM CORRIENTES — RETURN TO MONTE VIDEO — EX- 
PEDITION UP THE RITER URUGUAY — ENGAGEMENT AVITH PILOT — 

DESCRIPTION OF THE RIVER URUGUAY] GENERAL URQUIZA — 

VISIT TO HIS PALACE AT SAN JOSE — DINNER — THE GUALEGUAYCHU 
WATER. 

In February, 1866, we received orders to rejoin the 
admiral. We were sorry to leave Corrientes, for 
during our two months' stay there with the Brazilian 
squadron we had formed many very agreeable friend- 
ships, and, notwithstanding the confusion and un- 
settled state of affairs, the interest attached to the 
movements of the allied armies had been very great. 
However, after calling on the Brazilian and Argen- 
tine naval chiefs to say good-bye, offering at the 
same time to take anything down the river for them, 
we started on our voyage to Monte Yideo. 

We now had the current in our favour, and 
thoroughly understood, as the joilot said, that if it 
were dangerous running on a sand-bank coming up 
the river against a strong tide, what must it be flying 
down the way we now were ? for, with the screw only 
turning to give steerage-way, we were darting past 
the points of land so swiftly that we felt confident 
if any accident should occur we must inevitably go 
to smash. 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 189 

Fully impressed with this idea, I told the pilot I 
would hang him if he put us ashore, and got a good- 
sized anchor over the stern, with cahle all ready for 
letting go at a moment's notice ; and, as frequently 
the man at the helm or quartermaster did not under- 
stand the pilot's motions or orders, and as I might not 
be looking myself for the moment, I armed him with 
a couple of small flags to wave when he wanted the 
engines stopped or to go astern, the two most im- 
portant evolutions — red to stop, and green to go 
astern — while a wave of the hand was to signify that 
all was right, and go ahead. This being arranged, 
away we went certainly at a marvellous rate. We 
found roughly a difference of about ten feet in the 
general depth of water between the soundings taken 
coming up and going down, the river being now 
deeper ; but our speed over the ground was so great 
that it was impossible to sound any particular pas- 
sage without anchoring, as it was fatal to stop or 
get broadside on, for banks were on all sides, and we 
had a most disagreeable recollection of our adventure 
on the passage up in December, 1865. 

We anchored at Parana on the second evening, 
and I took advantage of the circumstance to call on 
the governor, who resides here, and who, next to 
Greneral Urquiza, is the chief officer of the province 
of Entre Eios. But his excellency had unfortunately 
lately been bitten by a dangerous kind of snake 
which exists about this part of the country, and was 
unable to receive any one. 

The rest of our passage was accomplished in a few 



190 LA PLATA, A:ND 

days, and, after calling at Buenos AjTes to discliarge 
our pilot, we left for Monte Yideo, where we arrived 
the following day. I found, on reporting myself to 
the senior officer, that the admiral had gone on 
a cruise to the Falkland Islands, and was not ex- 
pected back before March. We now landed together 
and called at the admiral's quinta, near Paso Molino, 
to pay our respects to the Honourable Mrs. ElHot, 
who had not accompanied her husband the admiral 
on his trip, after which we crossed the water, landing 
at the Custom-house, and strolled through the town, 
making a few calls. There was a large American 
squadron at anchor in the bay, and it was amusing 
to watch the intense friendship wliich appeared to 
exist between the men of their ships and those of 
ours. The large parties of liberty-men who generally 
landed of an evening frequently got into scrapes with 
the vigilantes, who, armed with swords, quite out- 
raged all notions of ordinary policemen. On these 
occasions the American seamen always assisted our 
men when a row occurred, which support would be 
duly retui^ned if necessary. Numbers of them were 
to be met in the evening walking about together. 

When the Narcissus, having Admiral Elliot on 
board, arrived, an expedition up the river Uruguay 
was announced. I was ordered to prepare to accom- 
pany, ready for the shallow passes where the ship 
the admiral was going in could not get over. This 
promised to be a most pleasant trip. Having seen 
the Parana, I now should have an opportunity of 
exploring the Uruguay. Admiral Elliot was going 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 191 

in tlie Triton, and my vessel was to follow. As we 
were to start in a day or two, a pilot was the first 
consideration, and after a long search, a man was 
found, who appeared steady and up to his work ; 
so I marched him ofi" to the British consul to get the 
terms ratified, all agreements of that nature, when 
government money is to be paid, requiring his cog- 
nizance. 

After my experience with the consul at Buenos 
Ayres, I thought to myself, " It will be all settled in 
a few minutes, and I shall be able to get on board to 
make arrangements for sailing." So, walking quickly 
up to the consulate, with my pilot following, I sent the 
messenger into the office to say what I wanted ; but 
here all prospect of getting the business done promptly 
vanished ; there was nothing for it but to wait. 

After some delay I was shown into the sitting-room 
used as an office. I told the pilot to come after me, 
but noticed that he appeared strangely shy, although 
a man some six feet high, and stout in proportion. 
However, at last getting him in the doorway, I 
pointed him out to the consul, and explained that 
he had offered his services as pilot. The wretched 
man began to tremble immediately the consul's eye 
was fixed on him. 

"Well, sir, you are a pilot, eh ? What do you want 
for taking Her Majesty's ship up the Uruguay ? " 

"Well, sefior " 

" Now, no nonsense; what is your proper tariff? — 
how much a week ? " 

" Thirty dollars, sefior." 



192 LA PLATA, AKD 

"Wliat!" starting up in his chair, and causing 
the terrified pilot to back out precipitately into the 
passage — "what! you have the impudence to ask 
that ! and in my very office ? You are a robber, sir ; 
all of you are impostors. Be off, sir !" raising his voice 
in a way that made the poor pilot shoot like a rocket 
down the staircase. 

What was I to do ? I had orders to be ready for 
sea in the morning, and if I lost this man I should 
not have time to find another ; so, without waiting to 
explain matters to the consul, I went off in pursuit, 
and, after a sharp chase, caught him up, when, after 
some discussion, it was arranged that he should 
present himself on board the ship the following 
morning ; in fact, his demand was not so much as 
my Parana pilot asked : and at this time such was 
the demand for pilots to navigate the transports 
supplying the army, that it was difficult to find one 
disengaged. However, he was now willing to come, 
and promised to be ready at daylight the next morn- 
ing. Nothing strikes a man with a moderate income 
more than the cool manner in which these pilots, and 
other people whose services you require in South 
America, ask for such large sums of money. Every- 
thing in the way of personal service is most exor- 
bitantly dear, and, as there is no fixed tariff, one gets 
plundered right and left. The only way in which a 
man could save money in the country would be to 
act as his own pilot, his own servant, and his own 
tradesman until a fortune has been made ; then of 
course he can fall into the ways of the country. 



THE WAR IX PARAGUAY. 193 

The next morning early, the expedition prepared to 
start. Several officers of the flag-ship accompanied us, 
and I put up as many as possible in the gun-boat, 
while others went in the Triton. Gruns, game-bags, 
railway wrappers, &c., came on board by boat-loads. 
We did not get away before that afternoon ; but by 
the next evening we had reached Martin Grarcia, and 
anchored for the night. Admiral Elliot and several 
of our party landed to see the remains of the forti- 
fications on the island, and the next morning at 
daylight we again started, entering the river Uru- 
guay shortly afterwards. This stream, unlike the 
Parana, is broad at the entrance — so broad, in fact, 
that one bank is out of sight of the other. The 
land on the east side is elevated and ^beautifully 
green, while the left or west side is swamp. "We 
steamed slowly along, passing thriving little villages, 
with numbers of river- craft at anchor off them. 

The current in the Uruguay is very moderate in 
speed compared with that of the Parana, and the 
general scenery of the river quite different. The 
sources of these two large streams rising in a 
totally-different sort of climate to that found at their 
mouths, all sorts of strange and foreign shrubs, seeds, 
and occasionally animals, find their way down with 
the tide. This is more noticed in the Parana than 
the Uruguay, and the delta of the former river 
would prove a most interesting field of research to the 
botanist or naturalist. The channel of deep water in 
the Uruguay is narrow, although the river is so wide ; 
and at a part where the stream is four miles broad. 



194 LA PLATA, AND 

the cliannel is narrow enougli to make a mistake of 
a few yards on either side fatal, the sand-banks being 
close, and most difficult to get off if you unfortu- 
nately run on them. 

We were now coming to the most fertile parts of 
the river. . Large estancias with countless flocks 
of sheep grazing, the small white dots on the green 
surface looking most pastoral and homely; numerous 
herds of cattle also were scattered about. The 
most uncommon object to notice was a human being; 
except in the immediate "vicinity of a village or large 
house we never saw any one. The vast numbers 
of valuable animals all appeared to be taking care 
of themselves. Occasionally a solitary gaucho might 
be observed in the distance galloping along, but 
the general aspect of the scene was one of quiet 
repose. 

For about a hundred miles the river is sufficiently 
deep in the main channel to admit vessels of twelve 
or fourteen feet draught at medium river, but be- 
tween Conception and Pysacdu several shallow 
passes occur. The Triton anchored at the former 
place, and the Admiral and flag-captain went over- 
land to Pysandu, while I went on in the gun-boat, 
ready to meet them on their arrival. Pysandu is 
on the left or Oriental side of the river, about 130 
miles from the entrance; and the town, situated 
on the side of a steep hill, from the numerous 
bombardments it has undergone, presents a very 
dilapidated appearance. Here Graribaldi, in 1844, 
with a small garrison of 300 men, sallied out, and 



THE WAli IN PARAGUAY. 195 

totally defeated 3,000 troops of Eosas' army, who 
were besieging him : at that time Graribaldi was on 
the so-called Liberal side, now styled Oolorados. 

On the arrival of the Admiral and Captain Camp- 
bell, we weighed, and steamed down the river to 
Conception again, where we arrived early in the 
evening. Near this place, which is considered one 
of the principal towns of Entre Rios, is situated 
the celebrated country palace of San Jose, where 
Urquiza, the ex-president of the Argentine Con- 
federation, lives in splendid retirement, taking, it 
is said, a silent, though by no means unimportant, 
part in the questions of the day ; his enormous 
wealth and independent character giving great force 
and weight to his opinions. He was born in Con- 
ception during the beginning of the present century 
of humble parents, and commenced life as a gaucho 
(the general term for a country-life). His talents 
and perseverance soon found an opening during the 
stormy days of the revolution, and, by the year 1842, 
he had raised himself to the position of governor of 
his native province, Entre Eios. He now took an 
active part in the revolutionary wars of the period ; 
at first on the side of Rosas, but afterwards, when 
that savage ruler's cruelties became unbearable, 
against him. 

In 1852 he commanded the army, which, assisted 
by a Brazilian force under General Caxias (the late 
commander in Paraguay), defeated Rosas in a pitched 
battle outside Buenos Ayres. He was elected pre- 
sident of the Confederation in his place, and retained 

o 2 



196 LA PLATA, AND 

this post, althouglinot residing at Buenos Ayres, where 
the Eosas faction still had great weight, until 1860, 
when, the want of the city of Buenos Ayres as a seat 
of government being found indispensable, Urquiza 
again attacked it, and di-ove out the remainder of 
the Eosas party. He, however, did not retain the 
post of president, preferring to retire to his govern- 
ment of Entre Eios. Since then he has not actually 
taken any part in the administration of public affairs, 
although his liberality and influence have been 
largely used and appreciated. His political feelings 
are believed to be against the Brazilian interests, in 
so far as she is mixed up with the affaii^s of the Con- 
federation and Uruguay ; but he has not taken any 
active part in the present war, although holding the 
rank of Captain- Greneral of the Confederate forces. 
He now, hearing of Admiral Elliot's visit to the 
river Uruguay, invited him to come to San Jose ; this 
invitation the Admiral accepted, and very kindly gave 
several of the officers of the squadron an opportunity 
of accompanying him. 

The palace is about twenty miles inland, situated 
in the midst of a vast grassy plain, over which roam 
the enormous flocks and herds of Urquiza. We 
found, on landing, everything prepared for our re- 
ception. Carriages drawn up on the river-bank, and 
several persons connected with the General's house- 
hold awaiting our arrival. In about half an hour 
we started at a smart trot through a pretty 
little village situated near the landing-place, the 
people cheering and waving hats and handkerchiefs 



THE WAH IN PARAGUAY. 197 

with great excitement as they saw Urquiza's car- 
riages approaching. The Admiral, with Dr. Yic- 
toriano (a son-in-law of the Greneral), the secretary, 
and myself, were in the leading carriage. The flag- 
captain and other officials in the next, and so on ; 
there being six conveyances in all. Leaving the 
village behind, we soon came on to the grass-land, 
where the road was quite nndistinguishable on the 
soft smooth turf. The sensation of driving over 
grass is always pleasant, but we had, in addition, a 
fine slightly-undulating plain extending for miles 
around us, with nothing to check the fresh, cool 
breeze. It was most inspiriting, and we chatted 
away in Spanish as if we had been all born natives 
of the country. 

Urquiza's private secretary, who was a clever, 
agreeable person, did the honours, pointing out 
the difierent objects of interest as we passed along : 
flocks of ostriches, wild geese, ducks, and game of all 
description, in great quantities, started up on all 
sides, and appeared to be very little disturbed at our 
near approach. 

The country is thinly inhabited; and from such a 
thing as a gun going off being almost unknown, there 
is nothing to startle the game. The natives very 
rarely take the trouble to catch the birds ; when they 
do, a long slender stick with a loop of cord at the 
end is used, which they slip over the bird's head. 

There are two kinds of partridges; the large, 
about as big as a middling-sized fowl ; and the small, 
which is more the size of the Enghsh bird, only 



198 LA PLATA, AISD 

feathered like a grouse. The large are well-flavoured, 
but the small dry and insipid. Ducks and geese 
are in great variety, and all equally good eating. 
Ostriches were also said to be much prized by hungry 
connoisseurs, but we had not as yet had an oppor- 
tunity of forming an opinion on the subject. We 
saw numbers of teal, widgeon, snipe, &c., feeding 
in the pools and marshes as we drove along, all 
getting on most amicably with the cattle and sheep. 
Flocks of ostriches could be also seen, but were rather 
more shy than the other inhabitants of the plain. 

About half-way to San Jose we changed horses, 
the new animals being caught and driven in from 
the open country. This operation occupied some 
little time : however, after a deal of galloping on 
the part of the gauchos, the new horses were put 
to, and cantered ofi" with us in good style. In about 
three-quarters of an hour, we saw the palace looming 
in the distance like a large ship under sail, the two 
lofty miradors, at the angles of the building, in- 
creasing the resemblance. The total absence of any 
other houses or trees in the neighbourhood, and the 
vast sea of level grass all around, gave a most 
striking effect to the scene. As we approached 
nearer we saw an encampment near the palace. 
These were the Greneral's household troops, who were 
said to be cavalry in first-rate order. Further on 
was the outside wall or enclosure of the palace, and 
offices connected with it. The whole estabHshment 
covers about five acres of ground, in addition to which 
there are gardens, lakes, and numerous out-buildings. 



THE WAR IIS PARAGUAY. 199 

We drove up to a large stone gate, with sen- 
tries posted inside ; beyond this were stores of dif- 
ferent descriptions, for the establishment includes 
shops in which the numerous labourers and persons 
connected with the palace can purchase articles of 
food or dress without having to go to town, while on 
the right stands the family chapel, a neat little 
edifice, gorgeously decorated inside. In fact, every- 
thing appeared to be on a most complete scale ; the 
retainers live there altogether, the two villages of 
Conception and Grualeguaychu being twenty and 
thirty miles off, and scarcely within reach of people 
having daily labour to perform. 

We were received on arrival by an officer, who 
conducted us through a large entrance into the 
courtyard, on the left side of which was a long open 
veranda, with rooms opening into the house from it, 
similar to the arrangement of the patios of town 
houses. Urquiza met us here, and shook hands with 
the Admiral, who afterwards introduced the officers ; 
and then we followed into a reception-room where 
Madame Urquiza welcomed us. The Greneral (as 
Urquiza is styled) is stout, hearty, middle-sized, 
very firmly put together, square head and deter- 
mined features, with black hair, and no moustache or 
whisker. His manner appeared quite plain and 
homely, and altogether he would not be unlike a 
genial Yorkshire farmer in appearance, but for the 
stern unrelenting expression of his features, which 
plainly show the desperate scenes through which 
he has passed during his stormy life. Madame 



200 LA PLATA, AND 

Urquiza is much younger than her husband, 
and a fine, handsome woman. She is a Portenia, 
which is as much as saying she is good-looking, for 
they are all celebrated for their beauty. Miss Lola 
Urquiza was also in the room. She was a pretty 
girl of about sixteen. The rest of the family at the 
palace consisted of two sharp boys of eight and ten, 
and a little girl still younger. The small boy of 
eight was a particularly fine lad, and evidently tlie 
pet of the family. We were told he could vault 
on his pony's back, throw the lasso and bolas, and 
was wonderfully plucky amongst horses and cattle. 
His father was anxious the boys should learn 
steam- engineering, and intended having a small 
steamer on the lake he was constructing behind the 
house. The boys had a German tutor, who lived at 
the palace, and his wife was governess to the young 
ladies. 

The Greneral only spoke Spanish, so the necessary 
compliments were exchanged through the medium 
of a gentleman (Dr. Yictoriano), who, as before men- 
tioned, was a connexion of Urquiza, interpreting for 
those who could not speak the language. We found 
most comfortable rooms prepared for us. Every- 
thing was on a large scale ; the palace was large, 
the rooms were large, with high windows to match. 
Coffee and cigarettes were sent round; but as we 
were told dinner would be served in half an hour, 
most of us reserved our appetites. 

Soon after, a bell announced dinner, and under 
guidance of the secretary, we assembled in the 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 201 

patio to await the arrival of the chiefs, the ladies 
having already proceeded to the dining-room. When 
the Greneral and Admiral appeared, we all followed 
them into the room, and, after bowing to the ladies, 
sat down in the seats told off for ns, the secretary- 
doing master of ceremonies. Urqniza was at the 
head of the table, and, after a short grace, sharpened 
his knife in the orthodox style, ready for business. 
The Admiral was on his right, then came Madame 
Urquiza, then I came ; next to me was the secretary, 
and an officer of the household troops occupied the foot 
of the table. There were about thirty in the party ; 
several ladies, relations of Urquiza's, and wives of 
the officers of the regiment, many of whom were 
present. 

Dinner commenced : soup, fish from the river 
Gualeguaychu, entrees, &c. After these had been 
disposed of, we saw the necessity of the previous 
knife-sharpening process, for in came a superb 
ostrich. This was placed before Urquiza, who helped 
every individual at the table from it, a feat difficult 
to surpass in powers of carving endurance. One 
knows how tired the wrists get after manipulating 
a tough goose : what must be the feelings after 
dislocating the joints of a biped standing, when 
alive, some four feet in its claws ? I was surprised 
to find the flavour so delicate ; perhaps my portion 
was a favourable example, being off the breast ; some 
of our party I saw lower down the table, with drum- 
sticks, were not getting on so well. 

The General worked like a man, and polished off 



202 LA PLATA, AXD 

the huge bird in no time, keeping the servants 
trotting up and down the table with plates as fast 
as they could go. During this time I had been 
conversing with Madame Urquiza ; she had known 
several English families at Buenos Ayres, and was 
good enough to say she liked the English very much, 
that they had done a great deal for the country. In 
the course of conversation, I remarked how very 
healthy the air must be at San Jose, everybody looked 
so well and robust, particularly the General himself, 
whom I was surprised to find so young in appearance. 
Madame said, " Oh, yes, we are all very healthy 
here ; there is no doctor within twenty miles. The 
General attributes his good constitution to the fact 
of never drinking anything but a particular kind 
of water, which comes from a spring near the Guale- 
guaychu." 

" It must be," I said, " a valuable beverage, for 
I never saw any one look better than the General 
does. What is it like ? " 

"You shall judge for yourself," said Madame. 
" Antonio, bring the aqua Gualeguaychu." 

Antonio went to the side-table, and returned with 
a bottle (or decanter) of mud and water, about half 
and half consistency, and, pouring out a tumbler-full, 
presented it to me. I thought to myself, " Ah, no 
filter in the country," and put it down on the table 
to settle, looking seriously at it. 

The General's attention was now attracted. He 
said : " I see you are trying the Gualeguaychu 
water. You had better drink it while it is fresh." 



THE WAR IX PARAGUAY. 203 

All eyes were now on me, so I thought I must do 
something, mud or no mud; so taking it up, I 
brought it slowly to my mouth. But it was too 
much ! The smell was abominable. I put it down 
with unmistakable signs of disgust, amidst loud 
laughter. Even the Greneral gave a grim sort of 
smile, and said : " Yes, it of course takes time to 
get used to it, but it is a fine thing. The deep 
colour is caused by the sarsaparilla plant. I have 
been drinking it for many years, and find it very 
wholesome." 



204 LA PLATA, AND 



CHAPTER XIT. 

DIFFICULTIES OF THE SPANISH IDIOM — THE BALL AT THE GEXERAL's, 
ETC. — METHOD OF CATCHIXG PAKTRIDGES IN LA PLATA — ENTER- 
TAINMENT AT GENERAL URQUIZA's FARM-HOUSE — BREAKING IN 
WILD COLTS — THE DORMADOR — SHEEP-FARMING IN LA PLATA. 

Soon after dinner the ladies rose to go, and as the 
gentlemen never sit after dinner over their wine, we 
followed them. Cigars were handed round, and 
while some sat down under the veranda, others went 
into the gardens. It was a charming evening, and 
the air was fragrant with the perfume of the orange 
and pomegranate trees, now loaded with fruit. The 
gardens were tastefully laid out. I noticed some 
handsome standard roses^^ and the General told us 
that most European flowers would grow there. We 
saw a lake he was forming. Two hundred men 
were employed in digging it out, and the water 
would be brought from a river five miles off. He 
was going to have a small steamer on it when com- 
pleted, for his sons to learn how to manage a steam- 
engine. 

The two boys now came running up to join their 
father. I asked one how he liked the steamer idea. 
He said if there were plenty of real fire and smoke, it 



THE WAR IN PAKAGUAY. 205 

would be a fine thing ; but be preferred horses, and 
liked riding down ostriches on his pony. After in- 
specting the corrals and other farm-buildings — for 
the establishment includes palace, farm, camp, and 
shop department, all in the same enclosure — we re- 
turned to the patio, where, under the veranda, coffee 
was being served. 

The ladies now joined us, and were most amiable 
in their efforts to help us on with our bad Spanish. 
Most strenuous efforts were made to do the agree- 
able; and, by the laughter of the sefioritas, they 
must have been highly amused at our attempts, even 
if they did not understand what was said. 

One of the party was leaning over the back of a 
garden- seat, talking to a pretty girl, in a mixture of 
English and Spanish, and trying to explain how very 
embarrassing it was not being able to express his 
feelings in as strong language as he could wish. He 
had got as far as the word " embarrassing " {mucho 
emhdrazado he rendered it), when up started the 
young beauty with a face as red as a peony, and ran 
for her life. Our unfortunate friend saw he had made 
some faux pas ; but stood there quite bewildered. 

"What is the matter, man?" said I. "What 
have you been up to ?" 

" I be hanged if I know ; I thought I was getting 
on pretty well, when all of a sudden she bolted like 
mad ! Never saw such a thing in my life." 

" Why, you must have said something wrong." 

" Me ! no ; I said she was Undd, hermosd, and all 
that sort of thing. I said it two or three times ; 



206 LA PLATA, AND 

for I looked them out in the dictionary before-hand, 
and she seemed to like it. I can't fancy what it 
can be." 

" Well, never mind, I'll get hold of the secretary, 
and ask him to see the young lady, and tell her you 
didn't mean it." 

" Mean what ? I tell you I have said nothing the 
most virtuous young woman in the universe might 
be ashamed to hear. I shall go and nnd her, and 
explain." 

While I was looking for the secretary, he sud- 
denly came up to me bursting with laughter, and 
said, "One of your fellows has frightened Eosa 

C out of her wits. He told her she was enihd- 

razadoP At this he exploded with laughter again. 
I was just as wise as ever, and could not see the joke. 
He said, 

. *' Don't you know emhdrazado only applies to 
married ladies under certain conditions ? Poor 
Bosa ! she is in an awful rage." 

"But what in the world are we to do ?" said I, 
laughing. "She will think it was an intentional 

insult. C has gone to look for her to explain. 

He will be making a worse mess of it." 

" I'll manage it," said the secretary. Tour friend 
won't see Rosa again for some time, and I will get 
it all arranged by the evening. Tou have heard 
the General gives a ball to-night ; the girls are 
capital dancers, so you had better get ready. They 
commence at nine." 

I found C , and told him we had arranged his 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 207 

business, and that lie was not to appear to notice the 
mistake; as of course he could not be expected to 
know of such an extraordinary idiom. When I told 
him the literal translation of the expression he was 
completely '* taken aback." 

"By Jove ! I wonder what she'll think of us all. 
I must find her out this evening, and make it up. 
How I shall ever face her I don't know." 

The excitement was now increasing; servants 
were rushing about, and rooms being cleared out. 
By-and-by the band arrived, and began to tune 
their instruments. "When we had finished decorating 
our persons, we strolled into the ballroom ; no one 
was there yet except the children. It was a large 
handsome room, with a cut-glass ceiling, which re- 
flected the chandelier lights, producing a most bril- 
liant eff'ect. About nine the people began to arrive, 
and soon after Madame Urquiza and her daughter Miss 
Lola came in, with the Greneral and Admiral. After 
they had spoken to the strangers, a signal was given 
for the music to commence, when, with a crash like 
an earthquake, the band (consisting of at least thirty 
men playing brass instruments, and assisted by three 
drums, one of them a big one) burst out all together, 
close to us, in an ante-room. The effect was so stun- 
ning, that even the wax, which was shaking out of 
the chandeliers and flying about like a snow-storm, 
failed to arouse one. At last I heard a voice scream 
in my ear, " Will you dance this set of quadrilles ? " 
I put my hand up to my mouth, as one does when 
hailing aloft in a gale of wind, and shouted out," Yes," 



208 



LA PLATA, AND 



and engaged a lady whom I liad been introduced to 
before. We had the flag-captain and Miss Lola Ur- 
qniza as vis-d-vis, the secretary and an officer, with 
their partners, completed the set. My partner, I 
found, was a niece of the General ; we managed to 
get a word in here and there, during the lulls in the 
music ; but it was awful work when the drum came 
in. The secretary after the dance was over said he 
thought the music was rather close, but that the 
General liked to hear the full melody, and that was 
the reason they were in the ante-room. However, 
he afterwards got them shifted out to the veranda, to 
our great comfort. 

The General was very proud of his band. The 
bandmaster was an Italian, and he got music from 
Europe for them. They were very well, but more 
adapted to the open air than to a room. 

After that dance I waltzed with Miss Lola. She 
told me she was fond of music, particularly Italian ; 
her music mistress was a German, who with her 
husband (the tutor to Lola's little brothers) were 
both very good musicians. I inquired if we might 
hope to have the pleasure of hearing Miss Lola 
sing during the evening ; she did not know, perhaps 
if the dancing was not kept up too late. 

All our people were now dancing away, talking 
Spanish, and amusing their partners and themselves, 
as if they had known each other all their lives. Eosa 
was then all smiles and blushes, her partner looking 
rather sheepish, and evidently careftd about his 
Spanish. 



THE WAS. IX PARAGUAY. 209 

About eleven the band happily gave signs of 
fatigue, and were sent to supper; we also all ad- 
journed to a refreshment room, prettily decorated, 
where there was everything but ice : however, the 
claret cup had been cooled in an earthen vessel, placed 
in a draught of air, and was very good. 

The senoritas had their lemonade, and then re- 
turned to the ballroom. The caballeros managed to 
get some bottled beer in addition to the claret cup, 
and awaited the music ; but the band, having some 
distance to march back to camp, departed after their 
supper, so the dancing was over. 

I now reminded Miss Lola of her promise to sing, 
which (after asking Madame Urquiza, and explain- 
ing that the band had gone) she did. The tutor ac- 
companied her in a piece from " Trovatore," which was 
sung very well. Miss Lola having a powerful soprano 
voice, although, naturally, before so many strangers, 
rather nervous. After the song, I joined the Grene- 
ra], who was sitting at a table by himself. I took 
the opportunity of expressing the pleasure this visit 
to San Jose had afforded me. The General said he 
had often experienced hospitality from British men- 
of-war, and was glad of an opportunity of returning 
it. He then, opening a drawer, presented me with 
his photograph, as a souvenir of my visit. I told 
him of my recent trip to Corrientes, and stay there 
in company with the Brazilian fleet. He asked what 
I thought of the Brazilians. I told him they had 
some good ships, but that the crews were very poor 
as yet, and would require a deal of brushing up 

p 



210 LA PLATA, AND 

before they tackled Humaita. He looked a trifle 
less grim, but nothing more. I well knew he was 
no admirer of the Brazilians. 

We now rose and joined the party at the piano, 
where some German songs were being sung. The 
people had been gradually going away, and before 
twelve all strangers had gone, and the gates were 
closed. People keep early hours in Entre Eios, 
so we soon retired to our rooms, where the smokers 
kept it up well into the small hours. 

We had arranged to start the next day on our re- 
turn ; but Urquiza had persuaded the admiral to halt 
half-way, for luncheon, and to see some of the country 
sports, taming wild horses, &c. ; so we turned in, 
under orders to be ready for the march at daylight, 
and soon everything was perfectly still and silent. 

We were up early in the morning, for it was 
impossible to sleep with such a glorious sun shining 
in through the window, and after breakfast the 
carriages were ordered round, when, after taking 
leave of the ladies, we started for a country-house 
belonging to the Greneral, where he had ordered pre- 
parations to be made for our arrival. He and his 
two boys accompanied us on horseback; there was 
also an escort of mounted gauchos. As we were 
driving along, one of them showed us the method of 
catching partridges. He rode on ahead to where 
he saw a covey of the birds on the ground, and 
commenced circling round them ; the birds, curiously 
enough, do not attempt to fly, but try to run away. 
The horseman keeps on narrowing his circle, until he 



THE WAR m PARAGUAY. 211 

at last gets near enough to drop a loop, attached to 
the end of a withe, over the bird's head, then, whip- 
ping him up, rides off. The man brought the bird up 
to the carriage-door and put it inside. It was not 
injured, and some time afterwards, when put out of 
the window, it flew away as strong as ever. 

We arrived at the farm-house about noon, and 
found Urquiza waiting for us, he having ridden on 
in advance. We were to have a luncheon served in 
country fashion, the meat cooked in the hide, and 
other rustic dishes. A large barn had been prepared, 
with several tables laid out. Here we were served 
by gauchos, with carne cum quaro, asado, cocida, 
carnero ; in fact, beef and mutton in every form, and 
in addition, in consideration of our well-known habit 
of eating bread with meat, we were allowed some 
small hard loaves : but this was quite an innovation, 
and unorthodox. Of the different dishes carne cum 
quaro was " decidedly the favourite, the meat being 
well-flavoured and full of gravy. Urquiza and his 
boys went at it true gaucho fashion, with silver- 
mounted knives, cutting the notches of meat out of the 
hide without losing a drop of the gravy. We were told 
a young cow makes the best asado ; but the meat is 
spoilt to English taste by the slovenly way in which it 
is cut up. Such a thing as a joint of meat is unknown 
in the country villages, and in large towns it would be 
necessary to make a special demand for and give an 
explanation of what was wanted. Nothing surprises 
a stranger in the country more than the vast quan- 
tities of animal food consumed by the natives, and 

p 2 



212 LA PLATA, AKD 

this without bread or vegetables of any description, 
and often without salt. The constant life in the open 
air enables them to work it off, one must suppose, for 
it is a rare occurrence to meet with a sick gaucho. 

We were all anxious to see the wild horses, and 
tlie men who were going to break them in ; so after 
luncheon we walked down to the corrals. In the 
first one were about fifty very handsome colts, quite 
wild, and staring about in a great state of alarm. The 
do^mador and several attendant gauchos were stand- 
ing near, waiting for the Greneral to arrive and give the 
signal to commence. The dormador was the principal 
performer. He was to lasso the animal selected by 
Urquiza^ saddle it, and ride it round the camp until 
tamed. He was a tall, thin man, with long black 
hair and moustache, and was celebrated for his daring 
feats of horsemanship. He had stripped to his boots 
ready for the hard work before him ; that is, he was 
without poncho or sombrero, but had a thin cotton 
shirt on, with a scarf round the waist, also a huge 
pair of boots armed at the heels with spurs about six 
inches long. Here he stood with his lasso coiled up, 
thrown carelessly over his arm, looking the picture of 
a camp cabal] ero. He was a handsome fellow, and 
evidently thought no "small beer" of himself, as 
he glanced here and there, giving directions to the 
gauchos. A short distance off I saw a gaucho sad- 
dling a smart active-looking horse of about 14| hands, 
and was told he was going to accompany the wild 
colt when it started, to keep it going in the right 
direction ; so, as I particularly wanted to learn the 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 213 

saddle arrangements of these celebrated horsemen, I 
walked up to see him get ready. He first put on a 
flannel cloth, then came the recado (a slight outline 
of the seat of a saddle, made of hide, without any 
flaps) . This was well lined with lamb's skin, having 
the fleece on ; after this the surcingle, called " cincta," 
was buckled round. This is the principal item of the 
dressing ; it is made of stout hide, and very broad 
on top. The ring for the lasso is on the left side of 
the recado, well up, and the stirrups are secured close 
back to where the surcingle comes. The rider sits on 
a sheep's skin, or rug doubled up, fastened on by a 
slight band. The lasso, being first secured to the ring, 
is then coiled up and fastened behind until required 
for use. The bit is very powerful, with single reins : 
all the head gear is of hide, but carefully prepared, 
and tassels with other ornaments are added according 
to the taste of the rider. 

The saddling being complete, the gaucho, who was 
in full riding-dress — sombrero with a coloured band, 
poncho with long tassels at the corners, huge steel 
spurs, and heavy thong of hide by way of whip, — 
vaulted into his seat, and, after a few curvets to show 
off the paces of his horse, cantered off to the entrance 
of the corral. "We followed, and found the Greneral and 
Admiral had arrived and taken up their position by 
the side of some palings, rather lower than the rest of 
the stockade, where they could see over. We divided, 
and some looked over, others climbed on top, and 
looked down on the operations. 

The dormador now came up, and, saluting Urquiza, 



214 LA PLATA, A:ND 

asked which colt he would like brought out. A strong, 
fiery-looking animal was selected, and the dormador 
entered the corral, several gauchos closing the en- 
trance to prevent the horses darting out. The 
dormador, now walking up to the mass of animals 
huddled up in a corner of the corral, waved his lasso 
round his head. The horses dashed off at full speed 
for the entrance ; here they were turned by the attend- 
ant gauchos, and continued their career round the 
corral. They galloped roimd twice, their wild eyes 
and waving manes giving great interest to the scene ; 
at last the dormador, whirling the lasso lightly round, 
threw it over the head of the selected horse, at the 
same time sinking down smartly on his left knee, 
and holding the lasso close down with both hands. 
The horse no sooner felt the lasso on its neck than it 
gave a bound in the air, and dashed off with a force 
sufficient to break a cable ; the do/mador, sliding and 
crouching along the ground, played him with admira- 
ble skill, and, detaching him from the other animals, 
in a very short time brought him into the centre of 
the corral, plunging and rearing, but with his tether 
much shortened. Another gaucho now appeared on 
the scene with his lasso, which he cleverly threw on 
the ground under the horse's fore-feet, as he was 
plunging, and by an upward jerk tightened round 
his legs. At the same instant the dormador let his 
lasso run out freely, which the horse feeling, imme- 
diately dashed off again at full speed ; but the leg- 
lasso brought the poor beast to the ground with a 
shock sufficient, one would have thought, to have 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 215 

broken every bone in bis body. It did stun bim 
completely, for tbe animal lay perfectly motionless, 
and tbere was no need for tbe gaucbo to run up 
and sit on its bead. However, be did so, wbile 
tbe dg^mador bobbled its off fore and bind legs 
togetber. It was now kicked and puncbed until 
consciousness was restored, and tbe poor beast, after 
some convulsive plunges, got on its legs again ; two 
more gaucbos now came, and partially led and partly 
dragged tbe animal to a post outside tbe corral, 
wbere be was saddled and bridled. Tbis operation 
caused a violent struggle, tbe borse, now regaining 
bis strengtb, plunged, kicked, and bit witb all bis 
migbt ; but tbe gaucbos knew tbeir work, and ap- 
peared perfectly fearless, getting out of tbe way of a 
kick or bite as if by intuition. Tbe d^/mador now, 
fastening a bandkercbief tigbtly round bis bead, 
watcbing bis opportunity, jumped into tbe saddle, and 
signed to tbe men to tbrow off tbe leg-lasso. Tbis tbey 
did, and tbe borse, feeling tbe weigbt on bis back and 
bis legs free, jumped straigbt off tbe ground, and tben 
commenced to buck, plunge, and dasb out, in a way 
tbat made one's ba<3k acbe to look at. However, tbe 
dormador stuck on, and a gaucbo, coming up bebind, 
witb a long cutting wbip, administered suob a lasb on 
tbe borse's quarter, tbat, witb a snort like a screamj 
be started off at full speed, tbe mounted gaucbos on 
eact side keping bim straigbt. 

Tbe country was open and level for miles, so away 
tbey went, tbe unbroken borse occasionally stopping 
to buck and kick, but eacb time bis attacks became 



216 LA PLATA, AND 

fainter, until at last he was ridden up to us quite 
exhausted, eyes bloodshot, covered with foam and 
blood, and looking perfectly bewildered. The dor- 
mador dismounted, and turned him over to the 
gauchos on foot, who unsaddled him, and tied him 
up to a post. Poor beast ! he looked as much broken 
down as broken in. 

The dormador was complimented by us all on his 
skill ; and certainly it must have required muscles 
of iron to go through such peculiar exertion. The 
General told us there were only few gauchos could 
stop a horse like he had done, alone and on foot. 
The riding was considered good, but nothing very 
extraordinary. 

The small boy Urquiza, who was perched up on 
top of the palings, and greatly excited during the 
proceedings, said it was nothing. He had seen 
Carlos, the dormador, mount horses twice as strong 
and wild. This one was a mancita. He would 
not be afraid to mount him himself. He was a 
plucky little chap, and his black eyes were full of 
animation as he told us what wonders he performed 
on his own pony, running down ostriches, &c. 

"We now prepared for starting. Carriages and 
horses were ordered round, and after a cordial fare- 
well to our hospitable entertainer and his family, we 
left for Conception, where we arrived the same even- 
ing, and returned to the ships. We were all charmed 
with the trip, having seen the La Plata estancia-life 
on a princely scale. The whole thing was quite new 
to us, and certainly most interesting. 



THE WAR IX PARAGL'AY. 



217 



Every one in the country spoke of Urquiza's talent 
and ability as a landed proprietor. He encourages 
settlers as much as possible, and particularly English- 
men, who are supposed to be the best sheep-farmers 
of any foreigners who come out. He is most liberal 
in his terms, engaging to give land and a portion of 
stock to any respectable person bringing an intro- 
duction, the value of which is to be paid for on the 
settler becoming rich enough to do so : but it is said 
that sometimes the sanguine settler, having started 
his business, would find his stock, cattle, or sheep 
mysteriously disappear in the course of a short time. 

He would naturally go to the generous benefactor, 
who had so liberally given him the wherewithal to 
commence the foundation of a fortune, and tell him 
all his troubles : but now the case would be different. 
The sympathy could no longer be extended; the 
settler must have been careless or improvident; 
nothing now could be done for him, and any further 
communication must go to the agent. The un- 
fortunate would go. The agent would be indignant 
beyond measure at such mismanagement and waste 
of the Greneral's generosity, insinuating that the 
settler must be either a fool or a rogue. The wretched 
man most likely has some small capital, and is now 
so bewildered that he is glad to ofier it for another 
supply of stock, which further supply probably 
comes, in some strange manner, from the exact 
direction in which his lost cattle have strayed ; the 
animals having found their way back by some un- 
known agency to their original and native pastures. 



218 LA PLATA, AND 



CHAPTEE XIII. 

"the gentle shepherds" — THE 'WELSH COLONY OF CHUPAT — 
ADVICE TO INTENDING EMIGRANTS — LIFE IN A LA PLATA ESTANCIA 

PREPARATION OF PRESERVED BEEF AT FRAY BENTOis VISIT TO 

A SALADERO — THE ACTION AT THE PASS OF OBLIGADO — DEPARTURE 
FOR RIO JANEIRO. 

It appears to be the generally received opinion that 
any man who is ambitious enough to wish to become 
a proprietor at once on settling in the coimtry must 
have one of two things, either very large capital or 
very large experience; failing in these, and only 
having moderate means and skill, he would do much 
better to get an introduction to some weU-established 
estanciero, and commence work in a subordinate 
capacity, than to risk his all on a venture. 

During the years 1865 and 1866 nearly every mail 
that arrived at Monte Video brought out numbers of 
handsome, well-dressed, well-educated, gentlemanly 
men, many of whom had been in the army and navy, 
and had sold out or had left the service ; they were, 
as a rule, remarkably good fellows, and used to be 
at once christened "the Grentle Shepherds." Their 
arrival was celebrated by a dinner at the " Oriental," 
and recherche little suppers used to prevail about 
that time. Their costume was eagerly criticised in 
order to establish the correct thing in knickerbockers, 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 219 

and the latest cut for a shooting-coat, and other items 
of a sporting get-up. These men had come out as 
sheep-farmers, usually with a few (very few) thou- 
sand pounds a piece. The first inroad on their capi- 
tal was the hotel bill — " Hang it ! a man must live 
somewhere, and who would have thought the ras- 
cally proprietor would have cheated in such a 

way ? " 

This goes on for some time, for the purchase of 
land and sheep cannot be effected in a moment. 
Agents have to be employed, and paid information 
has to be purchased, &c. At last the remnant of 
capital is invested in a piece of land and a stock of 
sheep. A respectable puestero is engaged to start the 
thing, and Irish labourers and natives hired to attend 
the flock. As soon as the farm implements and other 
necessary rolling stock have been collected, a start is 
made. But soon trouble begins to loom on the 
horizon. The shepherds are stupid fellows, and let 
the sheep out too soon in the winter and too late in 
the summer. Rot and other diseases get amongst 
them, and the first season is a failure. Next. year a 
drought comes on, *' such a drought as had not been 
known in the memory of the oldest inhabitant of the 
country," &c. 

This finishes our sanguine and swell shepherd, who 
either collapses and returns to his friends, or, as is 
more generally the case with young Englishmen, 
turns to with a will and starts afresh in a more 
unpretending and subordinate capacity. You very 
possibly meet the same man in the streets of Monte 



220 LA PLATA, AND 

Video after his adventure, as good a fellow as ever, 
but vastly changed in appearance and costume. He is 
now dressed in a coloured flannel shirt, scarf round the 
waist, and big boots, and probably is purchasing farm 
gear for the estanciero under whom he is now serving. 

To settlers in the more humble paths of life, who 
are equally likely to be deceived in their golden ideas 
of South America, the narrative of the sufferings ex- 
perienced by the Welsh colony of Chupat on their 
arrival in the country may prove instructive. 

In the beginning of 1866 it was reported to the 
British minister at Buenos Ayres and to Admiral 
Elliot that a number of persons were in a starving 
condition at the Chupat river. A ship was imme- 
diately sent to their assistance, accompanied by an 
officer of the English legation, who was to ascertain 
the facts of the case. These were found to be as 
follows. 

In 1863, a committee appointed by Mr. D. Jones, 
of Bala, left Wales for South America, to request 
the Argentine government to assist them in forming 
a Welsh colony at Chupat. This was acceded to 
as far as the authorized government grant to emi- 
grants went, viz., 100 acres of land to each family. 
On this the committee returned, and published 
a notice, in which they, unfortunately, exceeded 
facts. They invited emigrants to embark under the 
inducement of receiving from the Argentine govern- 
ment, not only 100 acres of land, but also horses, cattle, 
wheat, and farm implements. The notice said there 
will be at least five horses, ten cows, twenty sheep, 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 221 

two pecks of wlieat, a plough, and several fruit-trees 
for each familj. This statement was readily ac- 
cepted by the persons who were invited to go, and 
on the 31st of May, 1865, 153 men, women, and 
children started in a ship named the Mimosa. 

On the 28th of Juty they arrived at Bahia Nueva, 
with a loss of five children, who died on the passage. 
Bahia Nueva is the nearest safe anchorage to Chupat, 
and is distant seventy miles by sea and forty by 
land. Here the ship left them, and as the land route 
was through dense woods, and quite impracticable to 
women and children, they had to wait for a month, 
until a small schooner was procured. They now 
divided, the women and youngest children going in 
the schooner by sea, and the men and boys through 
the woods over-land. The schooner had no sooner 
got outside than a storm arose, which drove her off 
the coast for seventeen days, during which time five 
more children died, and the rest suffered great 
privation from being shut up in the small hold of 
the schooner, and unprovided with food for such an 
unexpectedly long passage. In the meantime the 
men and boys, unaccustomed to travelling, had been 
wandering about in the forests for five days, almost 
vdthout food, before they could find their way to 
Chupat. At last the schooner arrived, . and the 
settlers were once more united. But now they found 
that the promised supplies were not forthcoming, 
and were informed that they must look to their own 
resources. These were very small; they found 
themselves in a wild and uninhabited part of South 



222 LA PLATA, AND 

America, witli little or no food, and totally unac- 
customed to the life of a backwoodsman. They 
endured great hardship and suffering until the 
beginning of 1866, when the survivors, reduced by 
famine to 130, succeeded in making known their 
miserable condition to the English minister at Buenos 
Ayres. Assistance was now afforded them by the 
Argentine government, to the extent of over £5,000 
worth of supplies. But in 1867 the British minister 
at Buenos Ayres, Mr. Matthews, reported that the 
failure of the crops and general poverty of the 
Chupat settlement had led the Argentine govern- 
ment to consider it advisable to remove them to the 
province of Santa Fe, but this measure was afterwards 
reconsidered, and the people still remain at Chupat. 

This history of mismanagement and distress is 
well calculated to make an intending settler pause 
before embarking on his adventure. However cor- 
rect and sound a project may be in theory, unless 
the practical management of it is carefully and 
energetically carried out, it certainly fails. In the 
Chupat expedition, nearly every trade was repre- 
sented, it appears, except the most important one 
of husbandry. Consequently the talents of the 
colonists would have been employed to a much 
greater advantage to themselves, if they had gone 
to one of the large cities of La Plata, instead of 
undertaking a task which required the capacity of 
backwoodsmen. 

A splendid field for enterprise must, for very 
many years to come, exist in the interior of the 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 223 

La Plata provinces. Eailways are rapidly pene- 
trating to the Andes on the west and Patagonia on 
the south, opening out daily new and rich countries, 
only waiting for the hand of man to utilize them. 
To this day, in that almost unknown region, the 
G-rand Chaco tribes of wild Indians roam over the 
country, living on the simple and natural produce 
of the land. There is plenty of scope for overcrowded 
populations ; and those persons who imagine that the 
world is getting too thickly inhabited, would do well 
to visit the Pampas of La Plata, and their fears 
would be speedily removed. 

In emigrating, as in any other undertaking, it is 
well to look the difficulties straight in the face, and 
thoroughly accept them, before thinking of the plea- 
sures. However, when once the disagreeables are 
overcome, there is a wonderful charm in a settler's 
life. Nothing could be more pleasing than to re- 
mark the evident health and prosperity of the 
English residents on the banks of the river Uruguay. 
Most of the valuable estancias on this river are in 
the hands of Englishmen. The names of Grrenfel, 
Phillipson, and other well-known naval and military 
families, are to be noticed as the founders of large 
estancias, now amongst the most flourishing in the 
country. 

Shortly after our visit to St. Jose, we had an oppor- 
tunity of observing the inner life at an estancia, 
for some of our party who had been shooting 
in the neighbourhood of the ships now returned, 
bringing with them one of the residents of the farm- 



224: LA PLATA, AND 

house whicli we could see on a distant hill. He was 
a young fellow, an Englishman of good family, and 
had evidently been well educated. He proved a 
most agreeable companion, and described to us his 
life as a puestero. He had come out a short time 
before with an introduction to the owner of the 
estancia lie was now on, and was working his way 
steadily up. He was dressed in the coloured shirt 
and scarf with knife ; but said he still kept his 
civilian costume and black hat for the periodical 
trips to Buenos Ayres which he was allowed to 
make occasionally. We asked him to stay to dinner, 
but he had his flock to gather in for the night, and 
promised to come to our service on Sunday, and stay 
to luncheon instead. 

The next morning the manager of the estancia 
called on us and invited us to come up to the house, 
and shoot over the estate after breakfast. He ex- 
plained that the owner of the estancia (a man of for- 
tune) lived in Buenos Ayres; but he was sure he 
would be glad to offer us his hospitality if he were 
present. Horses were to meet us at a puesto about 
a mile from the beach. We were glad to accept the 
invitation, and quickly getting our guns ready, away 
we went to a point just abreast of the ship, about 
a quarter of a mile off. We landed on a shingly 
beach, and started off to the puesto, where we were 
to get horses. The country all round appeared to be 
a vast natural park : as far as the eye could reach 
was one sea of soft turfy grass, with clumps of 
mimosa trees dotted here and there. The ground 



THE WAR IN" PARAGUAY. 225 

slightly rising and falling, formed small hillocks, 
wluch were generally covered with sheep browsing. 
Numbers of partridges were getting up and flying 
away at every step ; but such was the profusion 
of small game that we did not care about killing 
them, preferring to wait for the large birds in the 
hollows, where, amongst the tall reeds, they were to 
be found in great abundance. 

A short distance farther on we came to a track of 
coarse and high grass. Here we had capital sport ; 
three deer were put up in the first cover, but, being 
loaded with partridge shot, we did not fire. They 
were fine fellows — a dark dun colour, about the same 
size as a fallow deer — and bounded off to the jungle 
at the edge of the river directly they were turned out 
of the grass. We knocked the birds over right and 
left as we worked our way up to the house, and 
found the sport so exciting that we preferred shoot- 
ing our way up instead of mounting at the puesto. 
At last, after a capital morning's sport, we arrived at 
the farm, where we found a most acceptable break- 
fast awaiting us. The house was one story high, 
with numerous outbuildings, all arranged in a 
simple and convenient manner, totally devoid of 
show. On entering at the front you found yourself 
in the dining-room, with chambers leading out of 
it on two of the sides. The establishment was 
fitted entirely as bachelors' quarters, the owner 
only visiting his property occasionally, and then his 
wife never came with him. The manager in charge 
was also married, but his wife preferred Buenos 

Q 



226 LA PLATA, AND 

Ayres to a camp life, so only the people belonging 
to the estancia lived in the house ; these consisted of 
the manager and three principal subordinates. They 
described their life as being monotonous, and looked 
forward to their yearly trip to Buenos Ayres with 
great delight. They took it in turns to go away on 
leave ; and, as their salary was high, and they had 
no means of spending money in the camp, they were 
able to enjoy themselves to their hearts' content 
during their holiday. Some of the puesteros, we 
were told, save money, and in time become owners 
of sheep themselves ; but the majority do not, and 
the cafes and theatres of Buenos Ayres reap the 
benefit of their labours. 

The estancia we were now visiting was not con- 
sidered a very large one, having only a frontage on 
the river of six miles, and running back ten, while 
some of the larger ones (combined sheep and cattle 
estates) are thirty and forty miles in extent. The 
frontage on the river is of course exceedingly valu- 
able, on account of the water supply, which is so 
important during the droughts which frequently 
occur in summer. We remarked, during our walk 
up, that the land appeared very parched, but the 
manager said it had not been an unusually dry sum- 
mer. Sometimes (he told us) the owners of estan- 
cias situated inland were obliged to drive their flocks 
down to the large rivers when their own small streams 
dried up, and the number of animals that died on 
the road formed a very serious item in sheep-farming 
losses. The air of the campo is singularly fresh and 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 227 

pure, and estancia life altogether is considered most 
healthy. The nearest doctor was 180 miles off; so it 
is a case of sink or swim if you do get ill or break 
any part of yourself, as you would certainly come to 
grief before the doctor arrived ; however, they told 
us he had only been wanted once in five years, on 
the occasion of a man breaking his leg, and then he 
did not come for three days, by which time the man's 
leg had been bandaged up, and they would not let 
the doctor reset the limb. It appeared on this occa- 
sion the operation turned out successfully, although 
one would have been more inclined to anticipate a 
crooked limb. 

Two members of the household had been sent out 
to the estancia expressly for the benefit of their 
health. One, a connexion of the owner, had been 
in a merchant's office, and was found to be gradually 
falling into a decline. His friends procured this 
situation for him, and sent him off at once to the 
country ; and now he certainly looked well enough, 
and said himself that he felt twice the man he did. 
In town he could not eat, had no appetite ; here he 
tackled his asado, well-done or under-done, with equal 
relish, and could ride his eighty or hundred miles a 
day with ease. Another virtue said to be possessed 
by the camp air is its power of strengthening the 
eyesight. The gauchos are all celebrated for long 
and quick sight, and persons who in town suffered 
from weakness of the eyes generally recovered in 
the country. Possibly these numerous good quali- 
ties attributed to the camp climate are as much 

q2 



228 LA PLATA, AND 

due to the regular and early hours people are 
obliged to keep, and the daily occupation in the open 
air, as to any peculiar quality of the element itself. 
However, they all agreed that, although their life 
was rather monotonous and tiresome, yet it was very 
healthy, and occasionally, at the shearing season, 
when they visited each other at the neighbouring 
estancias, amusing. 

We were now doing justice to a substantial break- 
fast, or rather luncheon, of beef and mutton, of which 
there was any quantity, but not a piece of bread or 
vegetable of any description ; nothing but beef asado, 
beef cocido, and mutton cooked in the same manner. 
The drinkables were coffee, brandy, and pale ale ; 
however, we got on very fairly until one of our party 
asked a strapping gaucho for the bread. This 
created a great laugh from our hosts, who explained 
that they never used it, and seldom saw it, except 
when they went to Buenos Ayres. Most of us knew 
that it was not the custom of the country to eat 
bread, but one looks for it so naturally that the 
demand slipped out inadvertently. "When the 
laughter had subsided, our host recollected that he 
had a tin of biscuits stowed away somewhere, and 
now very kindly undertook to dig them out for his 
epicurean guest. It appears strange to people who 
have been accustomed to bread and salt all their lives 
to find any one who does not feel the necessity for 
them. Yet we were assured that the gauchos never 
eat bread, and rarely take salt with their food ; while 
the quantity of solid matter they consume in the 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 229 

way of beef and mutton is astounding. Our host 
here returned, blowing the dust off a tin of Huntley 
and Palmer's biscuits, evidently, from its ancient 
and mouldy appearance, not having expected to be 
obliged to take a place on a luncheon table. 

Amusement was very rare in camp life. Occa- 
sionally during the shearing season, when they go to 
help each other, a dance is got up, on which occasion 
people would think nothing of riding their eighty 
miles. The country is so perfectly smooth and level, 
that, as long as you don't lose your direction, it is a 
mere question of endurance. 

A journey on horseback is performed with a 
''tropilla of cavallos mansos" (geldings), who follow 
a trained mare, and, as the traveller tires one horse, 
another is lassoed and mounted. Journeys of two 
hundred or three hundred miles are thought nothing 
of. As a rule, the natives are excessively cruel to 
their horses, commonly working them to death, 
cutting the poor beast's throat when no longer able 
to carry its master. Their savage ferocity of temper 
also shows out during the sheep- shearing season, 
for, getting irritated at the struggles of the animal 
during the process, unless closely watched by the mana- 
ger and his assistants, they would put a knife into the 
beast, or cut such a mass of flesh off with the wool as 
to kill the animal. At this particular period it was 
also necessary to be well armed with revolvers, &c., for 
the gauchos are so accustomed to do everything with 
the knife, that the slightest provocation is resented 
with a stab, unless the adversary is well armed. 



230 LA PLATA, AND 

We continued cliatting away about camp life for 
a considerable time ; our host and his colleagues 
being glad of an audience, as they said it made 
quite a break in their every-day life. However, 
at last, we sallied out with the guns again. The 
small partridge were running about in all directions, 
the difficulty being to get them up so as to have a 
fair shot at them. Farther inland, some ponds for 
the cattle to drink out of were full of duck, teal, 
snipe, &c. ; certainly it was great sport, a sort of thing 
one sees only in the New World. I scarcely like 
to give an estimate of the number of head of game 
killed on that occasion, for those who have not been 
in South America might think it an exaggeration. 
I may say a good-sized cart was nearly full, and we 
had game enough to serve out to the men after 
supplying the officers' messes. We spent a most 
pleasant day, and in the evening rode down to the 
boats, where we took leave of our kind host and his 
puesteros, who promised to come off to church the 
next morning and see the ships, and have some 
boating on the river. 

On returning to the ships after the San Jose trip, 
an alteration had been made in the programme. We 
steamed down the river to Fray Bentos, and then 
the Admiral, wishing to meet the English mail at 
Monte Yideo, started off in the Triton down the 
river ; but the flag-captain remained behind, to look 
into the other points of interest along the coast. 
Near here (Fray Bentos), the Eio Negro meets 
the Uruguay, after flowing through the vast estates 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 231 

of the Baron Mana, wHdi are situated on its banks. 
At Fray Bentos is also a large establishment for the 
preparation of preserved beef, in meat and as soup. 
The compression of the latter form of preservation 
is something wonderful. We were told it took 
several bullocks to make a quart of soup essence. 

We, on our visit, were much interested by the 
fearless manner in which the gauchos dashed in 
amongst the herds of cattle. Mounted on a small 
active horse, they would plunge into the mass of 
long pointed horns, whirling their lassoes round their 
heads, and shouting to each other, without apparently 
taking the least notice of the savage animals around 
them. When the selected animal was found, a 
gaucho would place himself on each side, and regu- 
larly push the beast out of the herd, prodding at 
him, kicking him, and shouting like madmen all 
the time. This, being a chosen animal, would be 
put apart, and in they would go for another. These 
bulls, when met with on the open, will frequently 
charge without any provocation. They have an 
especial aversion to people on foot walking about. 
The only chance, if you happen to be so circum- 
stanced, is to whirl a stick or anything else round 
your head, making it resemble the motion of a lasso 
as much as possible : this always effectually stops 
them, as they are in great terror of that well-known 
instrument of torture. 

The saladeros of this country are a terrible sight. 
I had long resisted all invitations to go and see one, 
but eventually, impelled by a morbid curiosity, I one 



232 LA PLATA, AXD 

afternoon found myself standing near a large corral, 
with about three hundred fine animals in it, bellow- 
ing in a way to make one's blood run cold. They 
appeared to well know their coming fate, and shrank 
from the savage ej^es of the gauchos, who were 
riding round them. At last an animal was selected, 
two gauchos threw their lassoes round its horns, 
and it was dragged — groaning and screaming in a 
way you would not believe an animal possibly could 
be brought to do — up to the narrow entrance. The 
agony of the animals at this stage is so great, that we 
saw one pov/erful beast make a jump at the palisade 
(breaking it partly down), and fall over a cliff outside, 
about one hundred feet deep, dragging the lassoes 
out of the men's hands. He fell on the sharp rocks, 
and must have been fatally hm-t, for the poor beast 
lay there groaning piteously ; but half a dozen gauchos 
at once rode up to the gap, and, throwing their 
lassoes down, caught him round the horns and legs, 
and, spurring their horses, dragged him up over 
the jagged sides of the cliff by main force, tearing 
out strips of flesh and skin at each successive jerk. 
The remains of the wretched beast had still some 
life in them on arriving at the top, but, as the skin 
was torn to pieces, the carcass was left on one side, 
and the work of slaughter went on with the others. 

The men employed in this trade are necessarily 
large, strongly-built men; but nothing can convey 
the ferocious expression of their features and repulsive 
appearance generally, as, with sleeves tucked up, hand- 
kerchief bound tightly round the head, and covered 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 283 

in a mass of blood, they pursue their sanguinary 
calling. We looked into the various departments 
where they skin, salt the hides, cut up the meat and 
ealt that also, and, finally, where anything remaining 
is put into the vats and boiled down for fat. But 
it was all very nasty and repulsive ; the fresh air 
was doubly grateful after such an infernal scene. 

There were several vessels waiting for cargoes, 
their holds being all arranged with the pickle ready 
for the hides to be placed in layers as they came 
alongside. A good-sized skin weighs about 651bs., 
and is worth £4 10s, 

We coasted along the left bank of the river, look- 
ing in here and there, keeping a sharp look out for 
any especially choice shooting covers ; but it would 
be difficult to match what we had already seen. 
Several large districts of country were covered with 
a species of bush like the broom plant, which is said 
to be poisonous, and called tellic. Here we never, 
by any chance, found a bird. While steaming slowly 
along, we had an opportunity of sounding frequently, 
correcting the depth of water and position of rocks 
and banks, which were found to be in many parts 
difi'erently placed in the original survey. 

The Ortiz bank, which blocks up the centre of 
the Eio de la Plata, leaves a channel on either side, 
which gradually shoals from six to eight fathoms off 
Monte Yideo, to two or three at Buenos Ayres ; on 
the bank itself the depth is from ten to twelve feet. 
The channel near the island of Martin Grarcia, 
leading up to the Parana, is very narrow and in- 



234 LA PLATA, AND 

tricate. The Buenos Ayrean government profess to 
keep it correctly buoyed ; but since the Brazilians 
have had so much to do up the river, they have 
taken charge of it themselves. You carry two 
fathoms and a half through, and not less than that 
up to the Boca Guazu. After entering the Parana, 
the channel deepens directly to six and seven 
fathoms, and in many places more, particularly at 
the bends of the river, where the current, running 
swiftly against the bank, hollows the bottom out. 
This is especially noticed at Eosario, where you get 
fourteen fathoms close to the shore, and in mid- 
stream only five. Another point of deep water is 
the formidable pass of Obligado, a short distance 
below Eosario. Here the banks of the river sud- 
denly contract, forming a channel three hundred 
yards wide. The land on the right bank is rather 
elevated and open, the left bank is swamp. In mid- 
channel the water is deep, and the current rolls 
through with such force as to form a race. 

In November, 1845, a severe action was fought 
here between the Argentine forces, strongly in- 
trenched and supported by batteries and a squad 
of ships, and the combined British and French squad- 
rons, under Commodore Sir Charles Hotham and 
Captain Trehouart. The Argentine Greneral and 
President Eosas had blockaded the river at this 
point, to prevent any intercourse between the north- 
ern provinces (which were against his government) 
and the sea, completely stopping their trade and 
preventing a large fleet of ships laden with produce 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 235 

(and at that time ready for starting) from coming any 
farther down the river than Obligado. A boom was 
placed across the pass, composed of chains, secured 
in the middle of the stream to a large vessel, and at 
the shore ends to anchors sunk in the earth, and to 
barges full of stones placed close to the bank. The 
combined squadrons approached under a tremendous 
fire from the enemy's batteries, and, taking up their 
positions, a furious cannonade of great guns and small 
arms ensued, in the midst of which Captain Hope, of 
Her Majesty's ship Firebrand, dashing on in his gig, 
boarded the centre vessel to which the boom was 
secured, and cut the chains. This at once opened a 
passage, through which the steamers immediately 
pushed, and attacked the enemy's batteries in reverse. 
At the same time the ships below the boom disem- 
barked their men and stormed the front defences. 
This completely routed the Argentine army, who re- 
treated in great disorder, losing large numbers of 
men as they crossed the fire of the steamers. 

The river was now thrown open to trade, and, as 
soon as the obstructions were removed, the imprisoned 
fleet of merchantmen sailed down the pass, their 
crews cheering loudly as they met the liberating 
squadrons. Eor this gallant action. Commodore 
Hotham was made a K.C.B., and Captain Hope a 
C.B. Commodore Hotham's ship on the occasion 
was Her Majesty's ship Gorgon, the ship that was 
shortly afterwards the cause of such extraordinary 
exertions and successful ingenuity on the part of her 
ofiicers and crew. 



236 LA PLATA, AND 

During a heavy pampero, she was thrown up on 
the beach at Monte Video, and on the gale abating 
was left high and dry by the sudden fall of the river. 
Her launch from this position is considered to have 
been a triumph of skill and perseverance. The suc- 
cessful result of the undertaking was due principally 
to the liberal assistance of the English merchants of 
the city, who supplied the materials necessary for the 
launch, and to the great judgment displayed by Lieu- 
tenant, now Admiral, Key, to whom was entrusted 
the duty of adapting them to the greatest advan- 
tage. Sir Charles Hotham was much respected by 
the Monte Yideans, and the launch of the Gorgon is 
still one of their favourite anecdotes. 

My cruises in the Parana and Uruguay were now 
brought to a termination by the arrival of the June 
mail from England, which informed me of my pro- 
motion to the rank of commander. So, shortly after, 
on the appearance of my successor, I gave over charge 
of my little craft to him, and left for Eio Janeiro, 
to meet the Southampton steamer ; but, on arriving 
at the former port, I found thfrt"^ should have to 
wait for a fortnight. However, this I did not regret, 
as it would give me an opportunity of seeing the 
country about Eio. 






THE WAR IX PARAGUAY. 237 



CHAPTEE XIY. 

BRAZIL, ITS MILITARY AND NAVAL FORCES, ETC. LOSSES DURING 

CAMPAIGN — BAHIA — THE EMPEROR OF BRAZIL — JEALOUSY OF 
BANDA ORIENTAL AND URUGUAY — RIO JANEIRO BAY — THE TOWN 
— THE " MACHIN BOMBA " — TIJUCA — THE CHURCH OF ST. MAR- 
GARITA — A MOUNTAIN STORM — RETURN TO RIO. 

Brazil, discovered in 1500, by Vincent Pincon (a 
companion of Columbus), was afterwards occupied 
and settled by Pedro Cabral, as a dependency of 
Portugal. In 1808 the King of Portugal, Dom 
John YL, left bis European dominions, which were 
overrun by the Erench armies, and retired to Brazil. 
Here he continued to direct affairs until 1820, when 
a revolution compelled him to leave Brazil and re- 
turn to Portugal. His son, Dom Pedro, was elected 
in his place, and in 1822 was, by universal desire of 
the nation, crowned Emperor of Brazil, all depend- 
ency on Portugal being thrown off. This act of 
independence was not recognized by Portugal until 
1825. 

In 1831 Dom Pedro was obliged to abdicate in 
favour of his son, then only six years old. A regency 
was appointed to administer the government until 
his majority, which was fixed to be at the age of 
fifteen; when, in 1841, having reached that age, 
he was crowned Emperor as Dom Pedro Segundo. 



238 LA PLATA, AND 

In 1845 the Emperor married the Princess Theresa, 
daughter of Francis I., then King of the Two Sicilies, 
and has issue — 

1st. The Princess Imperial Isabella, born 1846, 
married to Prince Louis Comte d'Eu, son of the 
Due de Nemours. 

2nd. The Princess Leopoldina, married to Prince 
August of Saxe-Coburg, and has issue two sons. 

At the commencement of the Paraguayan struggle 
in 1865, Brazil had a population of 11,780,000, the 
northern provinces having a much larger proportion of 
inhabitants than the southern : viz., Bahia, 400,000 ; 
Pernambuco, 1,220,000; Eio Janeiro, 1,850,000; 
while Bio Grrande, one of the largest of the southern 
provinces, has only 240,000. 

The army is raised by enlistment, bounties being 
given ; after fourteen years' service the men are pen- 
sioned, and a grant of land given them. The peace 
establishment was 25,844 men : staff, 641 ; artillery, 
4,322 ; cavalry, 4,321 ; infantry, 16,650. The ex- 
peditionary army in, Paraguay at first was 30,967 
men, divided into three corps : — 

Officers. Artillery. Cavalry. Infantry. Total. 

1st corps 65 497 1,639 2,804 5,005 

2iid corps 92 1,331 1,497 7,856 10,776 

3rd corps 113 767 3,403 10,903 15,186 



Total . . . 30,967 

This force was under command of Marshal Osorio, 
Viscount Herval, and afterwards of Marshal Barao, 



THE WAR IX PARAGUAY. 239 

Yisoount Caxias. Its numbers varied considerably 
during tlie campaign. 

The navy at the commencement of the war con- 
sisted of wooden ships only, and those of small force ; 
but now the fleet includes seventeen iron-clads afloat 
and four building. The number of seamen is 3,000 ; 
but many of the ships have had soldiers on board 
during the war. The fleet engaged in the Para- 
guayan war consists of sixteen iron-clads and nine- 
teen wooden ships. They were first under the com- 
mand of Yiscount Tamandare, and afterwards of 
Viscount Inhauma. 

The efi'orts made by Brazil during the war have 
been astonishing. At the fall of Humaita in June, 
1868, which may be considered as the culminating 
point of the campaign, the Brazilian loan in Eng- 
land amounted to over £14,000,000, and the national 
debt to £50,000,000 ; and, notwithstanding the fear- 
ful losses the army sustained at the beginning of the 
campaign, in that terrible Estero Bellaco, reinforce- 
ments were so well supplied that in January, 1868, 
there were 42,817 Brazilians in the field. Such has 
been the severity of the campaign, that no less 
than four generals and three admirals have succes- 
sively held command of the army and fleet. The 
expenses of the war have been estimated to have 
reached at one period £200,000 per diem; and in 
January, 1868, a milrei had depreciated from 2s. 3d. 
to Is. Notwithstanding these costly sacrifices, the 
present government has everywhere received the 
warmest support, and the nation appears resolved to 



240 LA PLATA, ASB 

see a satisfactory termination to the war at any 
cost. 

Brazil contains an area of 3,100,000 square miles, 
and in natural productions is considered one of the 
richest countries in the world. Amongst the most 
valuable exports are sugar, coffee, cotton, and hides ; 
gold, silver, diamonds, and topazes. The diamonds 
are celebrated for their size and beauty. One dis- 
covered in 1741, and named the Braganza, weighs 
1,680 carats, while seventeen carats is considered an 
unusually fine stone- The Braganza is now in the 
possession of the royal family of Portugal. The 
prices of diamonds vary as much on account of their 
brilliancy and lustre as their size. A celebrated 
brilliant found in the province of Las Minas, and now 
in the possession of the Viceroy of Egypt, weighs 
120 carats, and is said to be worth £2,000,000. 

The formation of the land near the sea-coast is 
granite and syenite, of a quality valuable for build- 
ing purposes. It has been largely used in the for- 
mation of the excellent roads for which Brazil is so 
distinguished. The soil is everywhere rich, and 
vegetation most luxuriant. The palms are espe- 
cially fine and numerous, one hundred distinct species 
being common in the country. The myrtle-tree also 
abounds in the forest. 

The various herbs and barks found in the magnifi- 
cent woods, and the valuable quality of the timber, 
make the Brazilian forest as useful as it is orna- 
mental. Wild animals are neither dangerous nor 
are they frequently met with ; but snakes are. The 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 241 

boa constrictor grows to the enormous length of 
twenty-three feet, and is much feared by the natives. 
The different species of birds are almost countless, 
from the humming-bird up to the vulture and 
emu. As a rule, they have brilliant plumage, but 
discordant voices. The rivers produce good fish, one 
of the best of which is the dorado ; the garopa is 
considered the finest of the sea-fish on the coast, and 
is caught principally near Bahia. 

Bahia, as its name implies, is a bay, but such a 
bay as is not often seen ; in extent it far exceeds any 
other bay on the continent, and rivals Eio Janeiro 
in beauty of scenery. The principal town of this 
province was originally the capital of the empire, and 
even now that the seat of government is at Eio, it 
has a population of 170,000, Eio having 200,000. 
The next province to Bahia is Pernambuco; these 
two powerful states, at the commencement of the 
Paraguayan war, showed the most critical signs of 
discontent. Situated as they were far from the coming 
scene of operations, they had not felt, like the more 
inland provinces, the inconvenience of having Lopez 
for a neighbour : and when they saw the enormous 
demands made on them for men and money, they 
demurred, and at first showed a serious disposition to 
resist. However, it was imperative that their prompt 
and willing co-operation should be secured, for, in 
addition to their riches, the men raised in that part 
of the empire make the best soldiers, and are con- 
sidered the strongest and largest men in the army. 

On this occasion the Emperor's personal influence 

R 



242 LA PLATA, AND 

and the conciliatory policy of his government suc- 
ceeded in overcoming the scruples of the peace party, 
and before the passage of the Parana the people were 
imanimous in voting for the war and the downfall of 
Lopez. 

The Emperor is now forty-five years of age ; he is 
a tall handsome man, with light hair and complexion. 
He is distinguished for his skill in music and lan- 
guages, and also takes a great interest in mechanics. 
Lately (it is said) he has become most reserved in his 
habits, having an especial aversion to any public cere- 
monies which involve eating and drinking ; notwith- 
standing this apparent unsociabiHty, his subjects 
respect his character, and thoroughly believe in him 
as a ruler. There can be no doubt that he not only 
has improved the condition of his own empire to a 
sm^prising extent, but has done more good for his 
neighbours on his southern frontier than they have for 
themselves. He has assisted them with his army in 
time of trouble, and has given them wise counsel 
during their short intervals of peace, and now he has 
tried the resoui^ces of his empire to the utmost, in a 
cause which is certainly as important to them as to 
himself. He has naturally watched the policy of 
Paraguay (whose ruler, instead of trying to improve 
his country, has spent all his money in soldiers and 
guns) with distrust, foreseeing that, if unhappily 
Lopez should gain the ascendency, civilization must 
inevitably be thrown back for an indefinite period. 
This has no doubt prompted him to mix freely in the 
afi'airs of the Argentine Confederation and Uruguay, 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 243 

with a view of assisting and increasing their power, 
thus forming them into united and respectable neigh- 
bours ; a result that would go far to counteract the 
influence of the incorrigible Lopez ; but, notwith- 
standing all this, the jealousy the Confederation 
and Uruguay have of Brazil has never been shown 
more than during the Paraguayan war. 

The fact of the Banda Oriental being thinly popu- 
lated is not sufficient reason to account for the 
government of Monte Video withdrawing support to 
their contingent so early in the campaign, any more 
than that a disturbance on the Indian frontier was of 
importance enough to justify the Argentine Presi- 
dent in recalling a large portion of his forces at a 
critical period in the operations, particularly as both 
Argentines and Orientals were older soldiers, and a 
better class of men than the Brazilians at that time, 
who were principally new levies. It was an unfor- 
tunate occurrence, and such a fatal jealousy must 
always effectually prevent a successful termination to 
any operations undertaken in concert. It is difficult 
to form an idea of the probable cause of this feeling ; 
the danger of annexation can scarcely cause the 
statesmen of the Confederation and Uruguay any 
disquiet, for Brazil is already so large an empire as 
to cause doubts to exist as to whether it can retain 
its present formation much longer ; and there is rea- 
son to believe that, when the present war is over, the 
Emperor and his government will find ample occu- 
pation in looking to the affairs of their own country, 
which are likely to tax their abilities to the utmost, 

R 2 



244 LA PLATA, AND 

when the minds of the people are withdrawn from 
the absorbing interest of the late severe campaign. 

There may be some subtle and intricate policy 
concealed under the surface, only known to the 
rulers of the Confederacy and Uruguay; but, to 
the world generally, the constant party-fights, the 
jealousies at home and abroad, the frequent change 
of president and opinions, cannot fail to recall " the 
gale in a washing-tub," which required to be con- 
stantly stirred to maintain the commotion. The 
immediate eiffect on the peo^ole is most disastrous; 
for, while the wretched natives are being made to 
cut each other's throats, foreigners are realizing the 
wealth of the land, and carrying it off to their own 
countries. 

The demands made on the native population for 
military services are so severe, that strangers settling 
in the country take care to identify themselves as 
little as possible with its affairs, and guard carefully 
their law of exemption from service of any descrip- 
tion ; and really it would appear as if the Confedera- 
tion must collapse from the weight of its own un- 
natural policy, should it be adhered to much longer. 

Brazil, on the other hand, under the wise and firm 
administration of the emperor, offers every induce- 
ment to settlers wishing to adopt the country as their 
own ; and nothing can have been more striking 
lately to an observer than the rapid advance made 
by this fine empire in the estimation of the world : 
the deference shown to its government and their 
wishes, the facility with which such vast sums of 



THE WAR IX PAKAGUAY. 245 

money have been raised on the credit of the country, 
show the high opinion people have of its resources. 

On arriving at the entrance of Eio bay, the im- 
pression is indelibly stamped on the mind that the 
harbour is the finest and the surrounding scenery 
the most magnificent spectacle it is possible to con- 
ceive. This is saying a great deal to persons who 
have travelled ; but I believe any one who has seen 
the view which opens on passing the Sugar-loaf 
Mountain, on a clear autumnal afternoon, will agree 
that it is matchless ; — the startling way the moun- 
tains rise from the plain without any warning of hills 
in the neighbourhood, the brilliancy of the foliage, 
with the many coloured houses dotted here and 
there in the valleys ; while, farther on, the two large 
towns of Eio on the west, and Praia Grrande on the 
east side of the bay, rise imposingly in terraces from 
the shore, the country in the neighbourhood being 
charmingly laid out in gardens and cultivated fields, 
until the background of the sombre Estrella range 
closes the scene. All this bursts on the view at once 
on rounding the point opposite the Sugar-loaf 
mountain ; and, as you steam up the bay, numberless 
other beautiful little bits of scenery continually pre- 
sent themselves, round points and behind islands, 
until at last you dash in amongst the crowd of 
shipping, and all is lost but the tops of the mountains 
over the mast-heads. 

We arrived about three p.m., and found a number 
of men-of-war assembled, including the new French 
admiral's ship. After the usual boarding-ceremonies 



246 LA PLATA, AND 

were over, we landed, and took up our quarters at 
the Hotel de I'Europe. One feels sorry to dispel the 
pleasant illusion caused by the description of the out- 
side appearance of the town. The distant view is 
most delightful ; but a closer inspection shows rotten 
landing-places, narrow, dirty, and badly-paved streets 
and roads, full of dangerous holes. The smells of 
the city are horrible, and of a mixture peculiar to the 
country. Many of the public buildings are hand- 
some, and the celebrated Casa di Misericordia does a 
great deal towards removing the unfavourable im- 
pression caused by the general condition of the town. 
This fine building combines in its vast establishment 
schools for children, quarters for the old and infirm, 
and a hospital for the sick of all nations. The nurses 
and attendants are Sisters of Mercy, who perform 
their duties most admirably ; nothing could exceed 
the order and cleanliness which reigned throughout 
the entire building. 

After a short experience of the town of Eio (a Yevy 
short one sufiices), one naturally begins to look with 
a longing eye at the cool, fresh, green mountains in 
the distance. So, placing ourselves in the hands of 
an intelligent but very expensive cabby, we were 
conveyed to the Machin Bomba station, situated near 
the centre of the town. 

Here we took tickets, and on the arrival of the 
Machin, which is a great lumbering steam omnibus, 
clambered up to the top compartment, and started 
for the station at the foot of the mountains. The 
road taken by the Machin Bomba runs so close to the 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 247 

houses, and tlie vehicle is so lofty, that in many of 
the streets you can scarcely avoid intruding on the 
domestic arrangements of the families residing in 
them, particularly if their bedroom windows happen 
to be open, which is frequently the case in such a 
hot climate. It is a wonder the inhabitants do not 
indite the thing as an intolerable nuisance, for in- 
dependently of the deafening clatter it makes as it 
comes along, the conductor can, by turning a cock, 
throw a jet of steam into a large horn, and produce 
a noise which, unless you are up to the thing, sud- 
denly creates an impression in your mind that the 
boiler has burst. Possibly the occupants of the bed- 
rooms to which we passed so close are used to it ; 
for I noticed that the conductor generally selected 
the narrowest streets for letting the vile thing off, 
and nobody shied anything at him. 

There is a lovely little village, situated in a gorge 
of the western range of mountains, called Tejuca ; it 
is about ten miles from E.io, and is elevated 2,500 
feet above sea-level. This is generally one of the 
first points the tourist makes for. On arriving at the 
Machin Bomba terminus, at the foot of the hills, you 
find horses ready for hire, to take you up the steep 
road which leads to the interior of the country. 
Having selected your horse, or, if you prefer to walk, 
for Tejuca is now only three miles off, you start up a 
firm, broad, well-paved road which, like all the 
public roads in the vicinity of Eio, is invariably 
in good order, a large staff being constantly em- 
ployed in looking after them. About half way up, 



248 LA PLATA, AND 

is the reservoir of water for the town supply. A 
military guard is stationed here to look after the 
machinery connected with the works. They have 
also orders to prevent fast riding or driving at this 
point, or any disturbance likely to damage the works. 
The regulations, which are carried out most strictly, 
have on more than one occasion caused serious dis- 
putes, particularly in one well-known case, which 
happened to a pic-nic party a few years ago, when 
returning late in the evening from Tejuca. From the 
reservoir to the gorge, the road is a succession of zig- 
zags, with deep ravines occasionally requiring a bridge, 
densely filled with tropical vegetation On arriving 
at the gorge, a cool and most grateful breeze is felt, 
gently wafted down from the mountains towering in 
the distance. You sit down on the stone wall which 
protects the stream rushing down the hill to the 
reservoir, and enjoy the view. On one side you 
have the whole panorama of Eio bay and town, the 
ships at anchor looking like specks on the water. 
Inland, through the gorge, you see a broken mass of 
mountains in the distance, with thickly-wooded val- 
leys between. Nearer to you is the village of Tejuca : 
here the Brazilians spend the hot summer months, 
and many of the merchants have country villas, 
to which they retire after their day's work in the city. 
A small space has been artificially levelled on each 
side of the road. This is turfed over, forming a sort of 
lawn, by the side of which the villas are built. On 
passing through the village, the road descends for some 
distance, rapidly plunging you at once into a dense 



THE WAE, IN PARAGUAY. 249 

mass of foliage, with mountains of all sizes and shapes 
around. Every now and then, on turning a corner 
of the road, you come to a villa built in the English 
style, with good-sized gardens attached, all deeply 
embowered in the surrounding woods, and giving 
one an idea of the most profound quiet and solitude. 

Half a mile more brings you to Mr. Bennett's 
boarding establishment ; here you are accommodated 
with every comfort. A delicious swimming bath, with 
an artificial cascade in it, was a real luxury after our 
hot dusty ride. We had previously ordered rooms 
to be prepared for us by letter ; so here we took up 
our quarters, intending to stay a few days and ex- 
plore the surrounding country. At the table cVJiote, 
in the evening, we found there were two visitors 
besides ourselves, one an Englishman, on the staff of 
civil engineers employed in the city, and the other a 
Brazilian, who had just returned from England, wheie 
he had been educated for an engineer. Dinner was 
very acceptable after our day's work, and the cool 
mountain air gave us a sharp appetite; so I can 
vouch for the fact of the Tejuca mountain mutton 
having been done ample justice to. 

Mr. Bennett, the proprietor, has been a resident in 
South America for many years, and knows every inch 
of the country round. He kindly promised to ride 
with us the next day to show us some of the most 
interesting points of scenery, and, as it was now late, 
we turned in, the beds being furnished with that 
unusual luxury in the tropics, a blanket. 

The next morning, after a refreshing cascade 



250 LA PLATA, AND 

s]iower-bath and good breakfast, we started on our 
expedition. The road led up by the side of a rushing 
stream full of enormous granite boulders, the banks 
covered with splendid ferns, and the forest trees, 
extending far up the mountain sides, were covered 
with orchids and air-plants of all sizes and variety of 
colour. The vegetation was everywhere gigantic, and 
most brilHant in its colouring : the soil, which is 
composed of red clay, is not rich enough to produce 
good grass ; and we noticed that the fields under 
cultivation were thin and poor, but the co£fee plan- 
tations were thriving, and orange-trees were said to 
like it and do well. 

We now approached the church of St. Margarita, 
built on a singular hill, which rises (according to 
the custom of hills near Eio) from the plain abruptly, 
without any hillocks near to keep it company. This 
church was built by a wealthy and pious lady of Rio 
Janeiro many years ago, in memory of her miracu- 
lous restoration to health, after having been given up 
by the doctors and priests of the town. It is said she 
was moved by some supernatural agency to try the 
efi'ect of country air, before finally giving up her life 
(and most probably money also) to the city ; so, hear- 
ing of a desirable residence situated near this hill, 
she purchased the estate on which it stood, and took 
up her abode there. Very soon the same spirit which 
had moved her to live in the country suggested walk- 
ing exercise, recommending the neighbouring hill as 
afi'ording, amongst other advantages, a convenient 
site from which to off'er up her daily prayers to her 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 251 

patroness, Santa Margarita. Thus influenced, the 
good lady either walked or was carried up every day, 
until Santa Margarita, struck by so much devotion 
and perseverance, restored her to health, and she lived 
long enough afterwards to found and see completed 
the present church, which is built on the summit of 
the hill, and also a monastery erected near the foot of 
it. The hill appears to still retain its reputation for 
effecting cures, several chambers in the church being 
filled with wax models, most repulsively exact, of 
diseased limbs, with representations of the same after 
a cure had been accomplished. 

The view from the top of the hill was very fine ; 
rich sugar plantations stretched away east and west, 
while to the southward lay the ocean dimly seen in 
the distance. We now descended and started on our 
homeward journey, passing large sugar and coffee 
plantations, all plentifully watered by the numerous 
small streams which flow down the sides of the ad- 
jacent hills. We noticed several estates with fine 
large mansions on them falling to pieces, and a 
general air of ruin and neglect about the place. This 
is the result of the action of the Brazilian law, which 
divides an estate on the owner's death amongst his 
children equally, so that the person who gets the 
house does not receive any land round it, or money 
to keep it up, while the individual who gets the land 
has no house to live in, and so on — quite precluding 
the possibility of any one being able to found a 
family estate, no matter how industrious he may be. 

Some exceedingly fine tracts of country were 



252 LA PLATA, AND 

pointed out to us, with little settlements dotted here 
and there, as if people were squatting on the ground ; 
but these were various members of the same family, 
each with their particular portion divided from the 
others, while the fine old house in which they had 
most probably been born and brought up was in 
ruins, no one individual of the circle having sufficient 
means to maintain it. 

Our route passed now through a range of hills sur- 
rounded by mountains on all sides. The roads in 
this direction are narrow and unequal, with chasms 
on the side farthest from the cliff, which, although 
exceedingly picturesque to look at, with their dark 
green foliage, looking nearly black at the bottom, 
where a mountain stream is rushing along, are 
awkward places to fall into. However, we left it 
entirely to the horses (by ad"v^ce), wiry little ani- 
mals, who appeared to know what they were about. 
As we neared home, we noticed dense masses of 
clouds rolling over and down the sides of the moun- 
tains on our right, and it became a question whether 
we should get housed before the storm came on. We 
pushed ahead as fast as possible, an occasional clatter 
of stones behind tumbling down the precipice, show- 
ing how loose and dangerous the path was. But we 
were bound to get on, for it was equally hazardous 
to be caught by the gale on such a narrow path, with 
sheer bare cliff on one side, and an abyss on the other, 
so we spurred away. Yery soon the clouds came 
over, adding darkness to our difficulties, and we 
could hear the roar of the wind in the distance 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 253 

amongst tlie trees. At last, it got so dark, and the 
clouds settled down on us in such a threatening 
manner, that the horses became frightened, and un- 
certain in their steps, so we thought it time to dis- 
mount ; and, fortunately, the path widening slightly 
at this moment, we were enabled to place our horses 
and selves some distance from the edge of the 
chasm on our right. Here we awaited the coming 
squall. 

It was most interesting to watch its approach. 
The large black clouds were now only one valley off, 
and the roar of the wind in the distance (for we were 
still in a dead calm ourselves), and the grand way the 
giants of the forest were bending their crests on the 
hill- side opposite, made alogether a splendid scene. 
But now we had to look to ourselves ; we felt the 
wind to be close to us, and gripped our horses' heads 
firmly, when, with an angry roar, the storm burst 
— peals of thunder, vivid flashes of lightning, a 
deluge of rain, and gust after gust of wind, bringing 
with it branches of trees, stones, and earth. I never 
witnessed such a scene before. The noise of the 
thunder echoing through the valley was almost 
deafening, and made our poor beasts tremble all over ; 
they were too frightened to stir, but crouched close 
to us, as we clung on to the bank, holding their heads 
away from the wind as well as we could, and keeping 
a sharp look out for the stones and branches which 
were flying about in all directions. This lasted 
about half an hour, when it gradually began to clear, 
leaving us in a most miserable state of dirt, caked all 



254 LA PLATA, AND 

over about an inch thick in mud, which had been 
showering down from the chff overhead during the 
squalL 

We now spurred on, safe or not safe, and after a 
sharp ride reached the hotel, which looked doubly 
comfortable in our half-drowned condition. How- 
ever, a good rubbing-down both for man and beast 
soon put all to rights, after which a comfortable 
dinner sent us happily to our beds, to sleep the sleep 
of the honestly tired. 

The next day was fine and clear again, so after 
breakfast we started off on a botanizing expedition. 
Orchids were the great objects of our ambition : they 
always appeared to grow in the most inaccessible 
places. At last, after two or three rather stiff climb- 
ing bouts, I succeeded in securing a very fine speci- 
men. It was rather larger than a tiger lily, with 
most brilliant colours ; principally a very bright and 
rich yellow, shading off into red of nearly a crimson 
tint at the extremity of the petals. I tried hard to 
preserve it until I reached England, but it got so 
knocked about in the steamer during the passage 
that it was destroyed. 

Nothing can be more enchanting than the scenery 
about Tejuca. All nature is on a grand scale ; lofty 
mountains surround you, splendid trees start up from 
deep glens, looking for the sun, with parasites of 
all kinds and colours clinging to them, sometimes 
binding two or three huge monsters together, bend- 
ing their branches into fantastic shapes; then far 
down at the bottom of the glen winds a mountain 



THE WAR m PARAGUAY. 255 

stream, shining like a silver thread in the distance, 
while the sides of the dell are richly clothed with 
tree-ferns, some of which are as large as young 
palms. All this forms a picture so charming that 
one feels sorry to leave it. 

However, notwithstanding our having yet to visit 
the " Chinese Yiew," before our Tejuca programme 
could be called complete, we were obliged to leave 
early the following morning for town, having 
arranged to meet another friend there, and join him 
in a trip to Petropolis ; to reach which it was neces- 
sary to start early in the forenoon, the journey occu- 
pying the whole day. So the next morning found 
us in that irritating conveyance, the Machin Bomba, 
on our way to the Hotel des Etrangers, where we 
were to pick up our friend. 



256 LA PLATA, AKD 



CHAPTEE XY. 

VISIT TO TETKOPOLIS — DESCRIPTION OF TO-V\'X, PEOPLE, ETC. — MULE 

TRAINS — VIEW FROM TKE SIERRA VISIT TO THE RIO BOTANICAL 

GARDENS PASSAGE IN THE *' RHONE " THE PASSENGERS VISIT 

TO BAHIA THE SALOON SERV^VNTS HOME TO ENGLAND. 

The first part of the PetropoKs journey is accom- 
plished by steam-boat, which takes you from the 
city wharf to the Maua landing-stage at the head 
of the bay. From here the railway, which runs 
close down to the water's edge, carries you to the 
foot of the Estrella mountains, in a gorge of which 
is situated the town of Petropolis. The remainder 
of the road, a succession of zigzags, reaching to an 
elevation of 3,000 feet above sea-level, is performed 
either on horseback or by diligence, both of which 
descriptions of conveyance you find awaiting your 
arrival at the terminus. 

The steamer was appointed to start at ten the 
following morning, but we did not get away before 
eleven, having in the meantime to wait on a wharf 
perfumed with all the vilest compounds of Pio, and 
a thermometer standing at frizzling heat. We were 
told it did not matter so far as meeting the train at 
Maua was concerned, for they always waited for the 
steamer. At last we effected a stait, and got off at 



THE* WAR IN PARAGUAY. 257 

a rattling pace, soon leaving the foul atmosphere of 
Bio behind. 

The scenery at the head of Eio Bay is quite as 
striking as at the entrance. You are surrounded on 
all sides by lofty mountains, which appear as if they 
had been scarped abruptly down to the strip of plain 
which divides them from the sea ; while closer round 
numerous small islands, covered with most luxuriant 
foliage, start up in different parts of the bay. These, 
again, are attended on by still smaller islets, not yet 
having any soil or trees on their surface, giving them 
an exceedingly quaint appearance, with their bald 
heads just showing above the water. 

The Maua wharf and railway-station, at which we 
had now arrived, was particularly rickety and dirty, 
scarcely deserving to be connected in any way with 
such a distinguished name. However, here we had 
to land, and drag out our traps, rush about for 
porters, crowd round the ticket offices, secure seats, 
&c., with just as much bustle and excitement as if we 
were going through the orthodox performance at 
ar English pier and railway-station. We regretted 
that we could not impart a little of our energy-to the 
engine. The passengers, having taken their seats, 
were panting and blowing after their exertions, but 
the engine gave no signs of life, and the guards, 
having locked us in our respective carriages, had 
relapsed into the cigarette stage. Heads were thrust 
out of the windows, and eager questions asked ; but 
it was evidently no one's business to answer them. 
However, at length the engine-driver took pity on 



258 LA PLATA, A^•D 

US, and, sauntering up to his engine from a shed, 
where he had been reclining, made a long, dismal 
whistle, and then went back to the shed. We had 
all composed ourselves in our seats on observing the 
advance of the engine-driver ; but now, on witnessing 
his retreat, out went the heads again, and loud com- 
plaints were heard. Eventually, after considerable 
delay, during which we had time to get cool and hot 
again, an official appeared with the mail-bags, and 
we started. 

The road, which runs through a dismal swamp 
the whole way, is about twelve miles in length. The 
view on looking out of the carriage- window was 
painfully suggestive of alligators and fever ; thick 
swampy jungle on either side full of the tall Brazilian 
reed, standing some twenty feet in height. An 
occasional hut was to be seen on a patch of dry 
ground which happened to be in the neighbourhood ; 
but one only wondered how any human being could 
possibly live in such an atmosphere. In three-quar- 
ters of an hour we arrived at the terminus, situated 
at the base of the Estrella Mountains ; and, on walk- 
ing out of the station, gazed up in amazement at the 
stupendous barrier in our front : it appeared as if a 
dense black wall reached up to the heavens, cutting 
off all further progress : the evening shades so 
deepened the gloom of the dark foliage on the 
mountain side that no means of ascent could be 
distinguished, all looked so black and perpendicular. 

Several neat-looking carriages now came rattling 
down to us, besides a number of saddle-horses ; so. 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 259 

selecting a light four-horse open vehicle, we placed 
ourselves in the hands of the driver without having 
the vaguest idea where he would plunge into the dark- 
ness. The road which leads over the Sierra at this 
point, and passes on to the interior of the empire, is 
considered one of Brazil's greatest achievements : the 
expenses of building it amounted to over £60,000, 
and the admirable state of repair in which it is kept 
must involve a considerable yearly expenditure. 
Along this route the produce of the country north of 
Rio is conveyed, and large trains of mules were 
streaming down the side of the mountain as we 
ascended. Our horses (active little animals) kept up 
a smart trot notwithstanding the steepness of the 
incline ; and after our eyes had become accustomed 
to the gloom of the forest, we could distinctly trace 
the road in its various windings. The effect through 
the trees of the carriages at different angles of the 
zigzags, with the drivers shouting to each other, 
and passengers alighting, to cut off some corner in 
the ascent, scrambling up the cliff, was very novel 
and interesting. Occasionally we came to some very 
fine pieces of scenery, the whole plateau of Rio 
Janeiro being extended at our feet. At a distance 
of about half-way to the summit we changed horses, 
the new team trotting up to the gorge in no time ; 
from here the road gradually descends until you 
reach Petropolis, a mile farther on. We drove up 
to the hotel with a great cracking of whips and 
shouting on the part of the drivers; the arrival of 
the daily express being a great event in the 

s2 



260 LA PLATA, AND 

conntrj, and not to be passed over without due 
ceremony. 

"We found the door of the hotel wide open, and 
servants ready to receive us in the most hospitable 
fashion. My ro.om looked out on a refreshing garden, 
where they had succeeded in producing violets by 
the side of a cinnamon-tree, and strawberries in a 
bed adjoining some pine -apples ; while camellias 
and magnolias were scattered about in the most 
luxuriant disorder. 

We found that, besides ourselves, Mr. Pakenham, 
our secretary of legation at Eio, and a gentleman 
who was travelling in Brazil, were the only visitors 
staying in the house. We met together in the even- 
ing at the table d^hote, and after dinner found the 
wind so cool that a fire was unanimously voted for, 
the rooms being large and lofty, while the night 
mists were damp and chilly. We sent for the ser- 
vant, and consulted him on the subject. He agreed 
that there was a fire-place in the room, but it had 
not been used for a long while, and it was doubtful 
whether the chimney would work. However, we 
overruled that objection, and passed on to the item 
of fueL Coal was not to be had — quite out of the 
question ; there was wood in the yard, but very 
damp. Certainly there was a fire in the kitchen- 
range, and possibly, if the w^ood was well cleaned, 
and the centipedes shaken off, the cook would allow 
it to be put in the oven ; but it was pitch dark, and 
snakes sometimes got amongst the wood at night. 
However, we volunteered to assist, and finally, Mr. 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 261 

Pakenliam's energy and perseverance overcoming all 
obstacles, we were rewarded by seeing, and feeling 
with considerable comfort, a fine large fire crackling 
on the hearth. 

These two delightful sanatoriums — Tejuca and 
PetropoKs — are of great value to Rio, affording, as 
they do, a distinct change of climate within an 
afternoon's journey ; and during the hot months 
they are always well filled with visitors. The Em- 
peror of Brazil has a palace here, a large square 
building cased with straw-coloured cement, and 
enclosed by stiff and formal gardens, which look 
to great disadvantage by the side of the splendid 
forest scenery which surrounds them. The town 
consists of one long and rather broad street, with 
a river running through the whole length of it. 
On the north and west sides of this the hills rise 
abruptly, but on the east a level space extends for 
a short distance. On this are built the villas of 
the Brazilians, who come up from Eio for the hot 
season, and disport themselves and their families 
under the shade of the orange-groves and palm-trees 
with which the houses are enclosed. 

The view on entering the town is rather pretty ; 
the houses are painted a variety of colours, generally 
red, and are screened in front by an avenue of trees, 
planted on the bank of the river ; while this, well 
turfed at the edges, is crossed at intervals by orna- 
mental bridges, the whole filled in with a background 
of mountains and wood. 

The manners and customs are of course Grerman, 



262 LA PLATA, AND 

it having been originally a German settlement, al- 
tliough now a number of natives reside there, and 
enter into the business of the place. An air of the 
most profound quiet prevails everywhere; and, as the 
Emperor is exceedingly reserved in his habits, little 
change takes place even when the court arrives at 
the palace. The sole distraction the people have is 
the arrival of the mail-trains, which halt here on 
their way over the Sierra. Petropolis beicg on the 
high road, is a convenient post for refreshment and 
gossip ; so, directly the mule-bells are heard, all 
hands flock up to the wayside inn, when the drivers 
alight and mutual inquiries are made, one party 
giving the latest news from town, the other delivering 
messages from friends or relations up the country. 

Mule trains are divided into troops of six animals, 
each troop in charge of a trocador, who manages the 
obstinate brutes with great skill. It is a most awk- 
ward thing to meet a train of these amiable creatures 
in a narrow road : they edge down on you and kick 
and bite in the most vicious manner, while their 
packs effectually prevent you trying to hold your 
own, by returning push for push. 

The merchandise brought by this road consists of 
diamonds, gold-dust, coffee, and cotton; but the 
most considerable portion of the produce of the in- 
terior is brought down by the Dom Pedro railway, 
which enters Eio from Entre Eios, on the west side 
of the city. 

The good people of Petropolis are exceedingly 
loyal. Most of the remarkable points of interest 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 263 

round tlie town are named after the royal family. 
The morning after our arrival, we rode to the " Em- 
press Mountain," from the summit of which there is 
supposed to be the finest view of any in the neigh- 
bourhood (when you can see it, as our guide con- 
siderately told us). We found out afterwards that 
five days out of seven the mountain is enveloped in 
mist, and, on arriving at the top, instead of finding 
an extensive panorama displayed before you, most 
probably clouds would be all that could be seen. 
Our day unfortunately turned out to be a misty one, 
so we saw nothing but the Empress herself, and she 
did not appear to advantage in a fog. 

We rode up to the top of the Sierra the following 
morning, to see the curious effect of the clouds which 
settle down on the Bay of Rio before the sun clears 
them off. The appearance they have is certainly 
most extraordinary, and unless you knew that the 
bay and town of Rio lay at your feet, you would say 
the Arctic Ocean had been suddenly transplanted to 
the tropics ; for as far as the eye could reach, looking 
down from the top of the Sierra, was one vast sea of 
white fleecy clouds, broken here and there by jagged 
masses, which answered admirably as icebergs, and 
all looked so solid and real that at last, when the 
sun gained strength, and first one berg, and then 
another, ascended and floated away into thin air, 
one felt quite disappointed that such a charming 
illusion could be so easily dispelled. 

The view looking inwards from the top of the 
Sierra is also very fine. Immediately below you, the 



264 LA PLATA, AND 

valley and river of Pialana stretch away to the north- 
west, with the Union lioad, looking white and glis- 
tening through the trees, running along one side, on 
its way to the provinces of the interior, wdiile farther 
to the right you see the remains of the old Minas 
road, now disused, except b}^ the neighbouring vil- 
lages. Landslips are of common occurrence here 
during the rainy season. We were pointed out a 
part of the old road where, a week before, a family 
had been buried by the cliff falling during the night, 
while they were asleep. 

The country inland of Petropolis is broken up into 
districts of hill and dale, and it gradually descends 
from a height of 2,500 feet above sea-level, at Petro- 
polis, until it reaches the tract known as the Campos ; 
here it rises again, and in parts attains a height of 
4,000 feet. 

The paths and mountain tracts in the vicinity of 
Petropolis are very beautiful. The country is much 
wilder than even at Tejuca, and birds are in 
greater variety. We saw several tucanos, handsome 
fellows, with black and yellow plumage, while the 
humming-birds were darting about in all directions : 
but the birds rarely sing — in fact, there is a most 
depressing silence about these South American 
forests. 

"We had time before the packet was due to visit 
the Rio Botanical Grardens, which are situated about 
three miles beyond the town, in the direction of the 
Sugar-loaf Mountain. The first part of the ride 
passes through Gloria, the "Belgravia" of Eio, 



THE WAR IX PARAGUAY. 



265 



where we saw numbers of handsome villas, with 
gardens arranged in terraces up the sides of the 
mountains, which tower over them close in rear. 

On entering the Botanical Grardens, the most 
striking object is the celebrated Palm Grove, one of 
the wonders of the vegetable world. Many of the 
trees are upwards of a hundred feet in height, and 
are arranged with mathematical symmetry, forming 
an avenue which is said to be unequalled any- 
where. The other parts of the gardens, although 
interesting, having several specimens of rare plants, 
are quite put in the shade by the Palm Grove. 
From the Gardens you see the Sugar-loaf on your 
left, and the Corcovado on the right : both these 
mountains are celebrated in the history of climbing 
achievements, and generally form one of the first 
expeditions undertaken on arriving at Pio. 

The only approach to the former is by means of a 
boat, which lands you on a narrow ledge of rock ; 
from here the ascent is almost perpendicular, requir- 
ing in many parts the assistance of a rope, which is 
thrown over the projecting rocks, in passing which 
the climber is suspended over a chasm some 800 feet 
in depth. The Corcovado has a good road all the 
way up, and is especially favoured by people looking 
for good points of scenery. 

Our ride back from the Gardens brought us close 
to the aqueduct which supplies Eio with water. It 
is a handsome and costly erection, having forty- two 
arches. The sides of these, as they show out from 
the dark background of foliage, are covered with the 



266 LA PLATA, AND 

Osmunda fern, while quantities of tlie verbena plant 
grow between them. Rio is well supplied with water, 
for, besides the Corcovado aqueduct, a stream enters 
the city from the north-west, brought in from the 
neighbourhood of Tejuca. 

We returned to town just at the time of the even- 
ing promenade. , Numbers of people were shopping 
in the Eua Dii'eta (the Eegent Street of Eio). The 
only specialities we could find at all worth in- 
vesting in were the golden beetles and feather 
flowers. Some of the latter are very brilHant, and 
well made. We met several Spanish naval officers in 
town, who, poor fellows, looked terribly ill after their 
late severe epidemic of scurvy. The squadron had 
just returned from the unsuccessful campaign on the 
coasts of Chili and Peru. The ships bore traces of 
the severe handling they received at Callao and Val- 
paraiso from the Eepublican batteries, particularly the 
Nnmancia, The loss of life in the squadron from that 
terrible scourge, scurvy, was reported to have been 
very great ; so much so that for some time there 
was scarcely a sufficient number of sound men to 
look after the sick. The BesoJucion had been so much 
disabled by sickness amongst her crew, and damage 
in various parts of the hull, that she was in danger 
of drifting on shore at the Falkland Islands, during 
her passage to Eio from the Pacific. Fortunately, 
she was observed in time, and H.M.S. Sjntefal, being 
sent to her assistance, towed her into harbour. 

The ships now having been painted and generally 
brushed up, appeared fine handsome vessels. The 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 267 

Villa de Madrid was not unlike our frigate the 
Mersey, and looked in such smart order that it made 
one quite regret that such handsome models of naval 
architecture should have gone out of fashion, to make 
waj for the iron-clads. Grreat activity prevailed at 
this time in the Imperial Dockyard, fitting out the 
small monitors destined for service in the river Para- 
guay, and we were much interested by a short visit 
we made them. 

The next morning we went off to the packet, to 
secure our cabins and arrange for the passage home. 
One other naval man was going to England besides 
my friend and myself. 

The Rhone was our ship, similar in size and ap- 
pearance to the Bouro, the vessel I came out in the 
year before. There were very few passengers going 
home this time, The late Grovernor of the Falkland 
Islands was on board ; also the Brazilian minister at 
St. Petersburg, who was returning to his embassy, 
after a visit to Brazil. He and his family and his 
servants mustered in strong force. His youngest 
son, a boy of ten years old, was a perfect prodigy 
in the way of languages : he had picked them up 
during his father's diplomatic career at the various 
courts to which he had been attached — English, 
Erench, Italian, Grerman, Swedish, besides Portu- 
guese and Spanish. It was really surprising to hear 
such a child conversing fluently with the passengers 
of the different countries on board. 

On the 7th of August, 1866, we started for England, 
leaving the Sugar-loaf and YilU^anon behind, and, 



268 LA PLATA, AND 

passing Cape Frio, in three days we were at Bahia. 
Here we were to coal ; so directly after breakfast 
the passengers turned out in straw hats and um- 
brellas, ready for the shore. The mail-agent, who 
happened to be going in his boat to the Custom 
House, very kindly gave our party a passage. We 
got away as soon as possible — for the coal-dust was 
beginning to be anything but agreeable — and landing 
together at the Custom House, started off to make 
the most of our time. Bahia, a fine handsome town, 
is considered the favourite city of the empire ; but it 
is built on the side of a precipice — no other word can 
convey the steepness of the incline. We were, 
however, bound to see it, and, after a stifi" bout at 
climbing, reached the top ; here we were amply 
repaid for our trouble, in the magnificent view 
which opened. We passed through the gardens, and 
sat down on a bench under some fine palm-trees 
(large even for Brazil, where they grow to such a 
size), and thoroughly enjoyed the scenery. At our 
feet we could see the whole extent of the bay 
spread out like a panorama, with a long white 
sandy beach fringed with shipping occupying the 
foreground; closer round us were the villas of the 
Bahians, who live up here, clear of the business part 
of the town. On our way back to the landing-place, 
we passed through the market, partly to buy oranges 
and partly to see the Bahian Negresses, who are cele- 
brated as being the finest specimens of their class in 
the country. They were certainly strapping great 
women, jet-black and glossy. They stand some 



THE WAU IN PARAGUAY. 269 

five feet ten inches in height, while, from their cus- 
tom of carrying weights on the head, their figure is 
perfectly upright and firm. The men are also large, 
but not so striking in appearance as the women. 

We returned on board in the evening, and shortly 
afterwards started for Pernambuco, arriving on the 
second day. There we found the sea running 
so high that few people attempted to land : one 
was certain to get ducked, if not capsized alto- 
gether, besides, the passage on shore occupied so 
much time that those passengers who did venture 
only landed in time to see the signal hoisted for 
sailing again. We weighed the same evening, and 
started for St. Yincent, passing through a terribly 
hot ordeal as we crossed the Line. However, the 
Rhone was fitted with two large coaling ports for- 
ward on the saloon-deck, which, being kept open all 
day and part of the night, cooled the ship con- 
siderably by the thorough draught they caused ; and 
the passengers generally preferred sitting near them, 
instead of going on deck, where the sun struck 
through the awnings with great strength. We soon 
reached more temperate weather, as the speed of the 
ship was very good, keej)ing up her eleven and 
twelve knots an hour. 

Six days brought us to St. Vincent, where we 
coaled again, and continued our voyage to Lisbon. 
The cool breezes of the northern Atlantic now began 
to revive us a little ; but we noticed that the amuse- 
ments on the passage home varied considerably from 
those in fashion coming out. Whether it was the 



270 LA PLATA, AND 

people were used up by the hot climate, making 
the exertion of reading too much for their exhausted 
frames, or that the railway novels were worn out, 
certain it is the occupations were quite different. 
Even the cane-bottomed easy-chairs had a worn 
appearance, and evidently wanted refreshing in 
Europe. Eating and drinking, however, retained 
their pre-eminence, and, if possible, went on with 
increased vigour, particularly the latter, which now, 
out of compliment to the new world we had been 
lately graduating in, involved cocktails and other 
ingenious compounds. 

One portion of the crew of a packet always 
awakens considerable interest in the mind of a pas- 
senger. The saloon servants are a remarkable body 
of men. They are to be seen in the morning (if you 
rise early enough) in a semi-nautical dress, scrubbing 
decks ; a little later they are silently preparing one's 
dressing materials, outside the cabin-door ; again at 
breakfast they appear behind your seat, in a neat 
morning costume, dexterously moving about with 
piles of dishes and plates, silently giving each indi- 
vidual what he wants, regardless of the language 
an order may have been given in ; again at luncheon 
they are equally busy, and by the time you have 
finished that meal and have composed yourself in an 
easy-chair on deck, placed so as to catch the cool 
breeze out of the main trysail, there they are again, 
in the semi-nautical costume, standing in line, with a 
bucket and blanket each man, it being their business, 
on the alarm of fire, to immediately repair to the 



THE WAK IN PARAGUAY. 271 

scene of action with those articles, and promptly put 
it out. In the evening, at dinner, they have relapsed 
into the quietly-dressed waiter again, and are in- 
defatigable in supplying the wants of the hungry 
German and thirsty American, appearing to under- 
stand thoroughly the requirements of the respective 
nationalities. No sooner have the evening meals 
been swallowed, and one begins to look for some- 
thing more, than our friends march aft, in all the 
circumstance and costume of a brass band of the 
period, and commence discoursing sweet music for 
the passengers to dance to, should the vessel be in 
a sufficiently good humour to allow of that amuse- 
ment. 

When one considers the various accomplishments 
of these men, the multiplicity of their occupations, 
the number of different languages they are called on 
to understand, the extreme tact necessary in dealing 
with cases of sea-sickness — for where a sick French- 
man would require care, attention, and sympathy, 
an Englishman would most probably tell an officious 
servant to go to blazes, — one wonders how they get 
paid, and how much they receive for such important 
services ; for, although the passengers make up a 
purse on leaving to recompense them for the musical 
entertainment, and also pay them individually when 
they act as private servants, still it is to be hoped 
they get something more than that for such constant 
employment. 

Our end of the dinner-table was much enlivened by 
the conversational powers of an American gentleman, 



272 LA PLATA, A^^D 

who was on a pleasure trip tlirongli the world. One 
has often heard the expression "seeing the world," but, 
as far as carrying the idea out literally is concerned, 
one so rarely has the opportunity of doing it in an 
ordinary lifetime. This we mentioned ; but our citizen 
friend was going to do it, and intended seeing the 
very thick of it ; starting from the Charing Cross 
Hotel, which he understood to be the largest, busiest, 
and noisest house in England. After that he was 
going to Paris, which he expected to exhaust in about 
a week, and so on to the various other capitals. 

Eleven days from St. Yincent brought us in sight 
of the Burlings, and the same evening we arrived at 
Lisbon. Here again we coaled, and eagerly inquired 
about the war news : not the Paraguayan war ; 
everybody appeared to have forgotten the hard fight- 
ing we had just left, and was still raging, between 
Brazil and Paraguay. Our present curiosity was for 
the campaign just then commencing in Grermany, 
between the Austrians and Prussians, the result of 
which was still an open question. We started the 
following evening, and a few days after entered the 
Channel. 

Nothing appeared to surprise the foreign passengers 
more, on our getting inside the Eddystone Lighthouse, 
than the numbers of yachts we saw all round us. 
" What are they doing ?" was the constant question, 
and, " How much do they make by it ?" The fact of 
doing nothing in particular for pleasure appeared to 
be quite an unknown luxury to the inhabitants of the 
New World; and when we arrived between Portland 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 273 

and tlie Needles, it being then just the height of tlie 
yachting season, their astonishment was most amus- 
ing. They actually saw senoritas almost out of sight 
of land, in a small sailing boat, and positively looking 
as if they liked it. 

We arrived abreast the Needles a short time before 
sunset, and after passing those desperately red forts 
opposite Hurst Castle, the Isle of Wight could be 
fairly seen in all its beauty. It really made one feel 
quite justified in being proud of one's country, to hear 
the bursts of admiration from the foreigners, who, 
having just come from a part of the world celebrated 
for the richness of its scenery, might be expected to 
be critical judges. But the charms of the Isle of 
Wight strike the senses in quite a different manner 
to the gorgeous and majestic style of South America. 
The bright green tints of the foliage in the grounds 
round the palace at Osborne were most refreshing 
to the eye after the gigantic brown vegetation of 
Brazil, and suggested to one again and again the 
old adage, " There's no place like home." 

And, in fact, home did look pleasant, as it always 
does after an absence, no matter how short it may 
be. And very glad we were the next morning, after 
the Custom-house authorities had satisfied themselves 
with our luggage, to find ourselves in a railway car- 
riage, and Southampton, with its masts and shipping, 
looming behind far in the distance. 



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